Heroes, Villains and Soul Reapers Oh my!
by icex1982
Summary: One week since Aizen's betrayal, Thanos locates Soul Society and prepares to destroy it! Dr. Strange and a group of heroes take measures to stop his schemes. Changed intro to give a timeline Many interactions and points of views. Please read and review
1. Prologue: Gateway to the unknown

**Prologue 1**

**Thanos**

**Fan Fiction by David Vincent**

Deep within a cavernous part of a dark, unknown universe stands a large cloaked being with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing into what looks like a waterfall with images on it. As this 6'7" 985 pound being looks into his water-mirror with glowing red eyes, he sees a place unlike anything he has ever seen before. A setting of what looks like Edo Period Japan plays out in front of him. The being who looks upon this mysterious place is Thanos**.** The mad titan is a being of immense power; that is feared throughout the known universes. He smiles at his discovery and thinks to himself; _ah what wonderful place is this? A place with an untold number of souls to which I could give unto my Mistress Death! I need to convince her to send me to this world so I can crush it. She will be most pleased and I will certainly gain her favor. None shall stand in my way and I will be all powerful! _He ponders this for a moment before turning and heading to find his would-be consort. He soon finds her in her grand chamber, clothed in an elegant cocktail dress with high slits that go all the way up to her hips. She looks at him with feigned interest.

**Death:** 'What is it that you seek, Thanos of Titan?'

Thanos: 'My Lady Death, I come seeking you assistance in moving between worlds. There is a place I have discovered that will give you as many souls as you desire! I will gather these souls and bring them back to you and you will be even more feared than you are now, my Queen.'

**Death:** 'Do not presume to know what I want eternal; however.'

This form of Death, for it can be anything it chooses, looks down at the tyrannical mad man with the slightest hint of curiosity. She ponders his request for a moment and finally answers him.

**Death:** 'Very well. You shall have my help eternal, but be warned; if this displeases me in anyway, I will have no choice but permanently banish you from my side for all eternity!'

**Thanos:** 'Thank you very much my Lady. This will please you greatly and there is no way a can possibly fail in my quest to win your favor!'

**Death:** 'See that you do not.'

With that he leaves her presence to make preparations for his trip to this new universe.

**End Prologue 1**


	2. Prologue 2: A collection of Heroes

**Prologue 2**

**Dr. Strange**

**Fan Fiction by David Vincent**

At the same time that Thanos is preparing to leave for this soul-rich universe, there is another making some preparations of his own. Levitating in the middle of a seemingly endless universe is Dr. Strange. As he floats, his cape hangs un-moving around his shoulders. The Sorcerer Supreme gazes at six water-like viewers into other dimensions. One is looking in on an otherworldly dimension at Thanos trying to please Death. Another is of that very universe which Thanos plans to invade, and what he sees is what looks like a very old man having a meeting with nine other people dressed in black kimonos with white jackets. The other four liquid viewers have individuals of his earth going about their lives. Wolverine, sitting in a bar relaxing and drinking a beer. Hulk, in the Arizona desert. Thor on top of a mountain, gazing up at the heavens. Psylocke, who is in the X-Men's danger room, training. Dr. Strange decides, as he's looking at these individuals, to stop Thanos' plan. He closes his eyes and suddenly he is in a large ornately decorated room. As his feet once again rest on solid ground, he pulls his cloak around his body and whispers an inaudible incantation then disappears! He appears before Thor floating in the air in front of the god. Thor, somewhat surprised, comes out of his reverie.

**Thor:** 'Ah Dr. Strange! What a glorious day this is to be visited by one such as you. What brings you to this place of meeting?

**Dr. Strange:** 'My apologies for disturbing your meditation, but I am in dire need of your services, god of thunder.'

Thor looks down at the sorcerer.

**Thor:** 'What doth thou bequest of Odin's Son, good sorcerer?'

**Dr. Strange**: 'Thanos has reappeared and is planning on conquering an unknown universe. He will most likely succeed if we do not interfere. This other world is very powerful and extremely difficult to reach, but he has Death's permission and with that, all of her resources as well. There's no telling what will happen if he is left unchecked.'

Thor contemplates his friend's words and speaks.

**Thor:** 'Aye, Thanos doth pose a problem indeed. I recall whenst he hath invaded Asgard… You will have mine help in this grave matter Dr. Strange!'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Thank you my good man. I shall teleport you to my Sanctum Sanctorum to await the other participants.'

**Thor:** 'There be others? Verily! I shall wait at your table for yon reinforcements.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Very good. Feel free to ask Wong for anything you require.'

With that, Dr. Strange teleports Thor back to New York. Once finished, he vanishes to search for his next target. He materializes outside of Xavier's School for Higher Learning and concentrates all of his thoughts on Psylocke who is still training in the Danger Room. _Psylocke? This is Dr. Strange; can you hear me? I'm outside of the grounds; can I have a moment of your time? I'll be on the psychic plane. _With that he sits down on the grass and closes his eyes. When he opens them again, he finds himself on a small boat in the middle of a lake. He looks around in the distance and he sees a regal castle surrounded by fog. Suddenly, walking on the water is Psylocke, wearing a medieval gown. She glides over the water smiling at the mystic.

**Psylocke:** 'W'at is it that you want Doctor?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I always enjoy the psychic plane. It can be whatever the mind in control wants it to be. Camelot? Very interesting, Elizabeth.'

Just then near Dr. Strange, a woman's ivory arm and hand breaches the water's surface, holding a great sword; Excalibur.

**Psylocke:** 'Very good Stephen, I am British you know. But it doesn't take a telepath to know that you've came for more than just a social call.'

As she finishes speaking, her gown morphs into her traditional costume. The scenery also changes from old Brittan to Death's realm where Thanos sits on a carved onyx throne with intricately detailed skeletons. Behind him silhouetted in shadow, stand ten figures, each dressed the same yet unique in stature. The most disturbing thing in this reality is that in piles around the mad titan lay battered and beaten bodies. As well as skeletons of known heroes like Captain America, Spider-Man, Storm, Warbird and the Fantastic Four. Dr. Strange looks around and purses his lips.

**Dr. Strange:** 'You are quite powerful Psylocke and it is this power I would like to use in stopping Thanos' plans. Will you lend me your strength?'

**Psylocke:** 'It's pretty quiet around 'ere right now. I'll let the other X-Men know w'at's going on. 'Ang on.'

Instantly, the dimension morphs and changes into nothing but light and energy; its base form. Dr. Strange waits patiently and a minute later Camelot returns as the scene and Psylocke stands before him once again in her gown.

**Psylocke:** 'It's all square. Scott says if you need anything from the others don't 'esitate to ask. I'm ready to go when you are.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Excellent. I'm going to teleport you to my home. You'll find Thor already waiting for you there. Thank you, Elizabeth.'

**Psylocke:** 'Thor? I see you aren't taking this threat lightly. I'll see you soon.'

With that Stephen closes his eyes and when he opens them he finds himself alone and back on the school's grounds. As he did with Thor, Dr. Strange recites an incantation and as he does, feels Psylocke's presence pass thru the gate and safely into his sitting room.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Very good.'

Once again he teleports himself away in search of his next recruit. Once he rematerializes, Dr. Strange finds himself across the street from an old rundown bar outside of Calgary-Alberta, Canada. Still under a spell of concealment, so as not to alarm anybody, he magically changes his attire from his costume and cloak to a more subtle style. Now donned in a classic fedora hat and business casual dress; he walks across the street and into the dimly lit bar. Sitting in the far back wearing a cowboy hat, plaid flannel shirt and jeans, sits Logan nursing what looks like his fifth glass of beer. Stephen pulls his hat down over his eyes and casually walks over to the man.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Hello Logan, may I sit down?'

Logan tilts his head in Strange's direction.

**Wolverine:** 'Free country, bub. I guess yer gonna tell me why ya smell like Xavier's?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I almost forgot how acute your senses are Wolverine. I was there just moments ago speaking with Elizabeth Braddock. It is the same reason why I am here to talk to you.'

**Wolverine:** 'Oh yeah? I don't have my uniform with me so it means I'm not with the X-Men right now. Go bug Cyclops or somethin'.'

With that the man shifts his weight and goes back to drinking his beer, essentially dismissing the mystic.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I do not need the X-Men's assistance, Logan. I came to her as an individual, and I am here for you also, as an individual. I am here about Thanos.'

Wolverine again looks up at Dr. Strange with recollection in his blue eyes.

**Wolverine:** 'Damn.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Exactly. He's regained enough power to become a threat again Logan, and I need help in dealing with him. He has found a way into another parallel dimension and-'

**Wolverine:** 'Save it Doc. Just tell me I get ta kick some ass and it's all I need.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Ahem. Well, yes, you get to "kick some ass".'

**Wolverine:** 'I gotta catch a plane back ta New York, so I guess I'll meet ya at yer place?'

The sorcerer chuckles to himself and says.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Goodness no, Logan. I am going to teleport you directly into my home. Thor and Psylocke are already there. Oh, and I already took the liberty of having a uniform for you to change into when you get there.'

**Wolverine:** 'Boy Doc, you already knew I was gonna say yes, didn't ya?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'They don't call me "Sorcerer Supreme" for nothing.'

**Wolverine:** 'Huh. I guess. You headin' back too?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Not yet I'm afraid. I have one more recruit to see. This one may take me awhile… It is Hulk.'

**Wolverine:** 'Heh. Let me come, Strange, I'll persuade him fer ya.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I appreciate the offer but I have to tread delicately with him, after all the harm I caused for him recently. I have set up the portal so as you walk out the front door, you will be stepping into my sitting room. I must be on my way, Logan.'

And without anyone else in the bar even aware that Dr. Strange was there, he disappears right before Logan's keen eyes!

**Wolverine:** 'Crazy magician.'

He gets up and lays a twenty on the table and as he heads for the door, he lets a lady go ahead of him and suddenly remembers about the portal, but before he can stop her she; walks out to the sidewalk and waits for a cab. Logan thinks to himself as he walks through the door, _maybe he forgot to set it up… _Suddenly he is in a large room with old furniture. He shakes his head and smiles as he again thinks, _gotta love magic._

This time when Dr. Strange materializes, he feels the heat of the blazing sun above him. He looks out into the distance and sees white hot sand all around him. The sorcerer shields his eyes as he walks forward. He soon sees a giant green man looking up into the sun, almost daring it to burn his hide, standing about twenty yards away from his position. He stands his ground, being cautious of the jade giant.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Hulk! I've come to seek your help. Can I have a word with you?'

Hulk shifts his weight and looks back at the mystic then scoffs.

**Hulk:** 'What do you want, Strange? I come here to get away from you costumed yahoos, and what happens? Someone like you follows me out here, "to have a word" with me.

He stomps his foot and sends a warning shockwave in Dr. Strange's direction, causing the mystic to levitate. Stephen closes his eyes and sighs. _This is going to be problem some. _He takes a wide arc around Hulk and stands facing the behemoth.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Please Hulk. I come here seeking the strongest one of us all to help in a dire mission to stop Thanos. Do you remember him?'

**Hulk:** 'Why is it that I'm always a threat until somebody needs my help? Then it's "oh lets get Hulk, he'll help us out." I'm not your guard dog Strange, and I don't like to be bothered by people who would try and control me. I'm not anyone's weapon.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I do not view you as such, Hulk. I remember our days as Defenders and, call me nostalgic, but I thought it would be nice to work together again. We're missing Silver Surfer and Namor of course, but unfortunately they can not join us this time.'

**Hulk:** 'Who says I'm joining you? All you've told me is that Thanos is involved, and that isn't enough for me. Sure he's powerful, but can't you just use your magic and trap him in another dimension or something?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Death has lent him her power and he is making preparations as we speak to invade and destroy an unsuspecting universe. Thor, Psylocke and Wolverine have-'

Hulk squints and interrupts Dr. Strange.

**Hulk:** 'Wait, you have the midget helping you out? I can't believe you got him to help you. That guy is so selfish… Alright Strange, you can have my help. There's no way I'm going to let him one up me. Where do I have to go?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Excellent Hulk. You will be joining the others in my home. I will teleport you there now.'

The mystic again places his hands together into an intricate pattern and a portal opens before the two men. Smiling and cracking his knuckles, Hulk begins to walk thru the portal.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I request that you do not start anything until I get there Hulk.'

**Hulk:** 'I can't promise anything doc.'

Dr. Strange sighs as Hulk vanishes. Just then a being appears before the sorcerer. His head is twice the size of his body and he has a white flowing cape that billows in the hot air. His eyes are blank yet they seem to see everything.

**Dr. Strange:** 'The Watcher? This situation is dire indeed if Uatu is here. We will do all that we can, Watcher, to stop Thanos with as little damage done as possible.'

The Watcher looks down at the mystic and then back up into the sky and vanishes. Dr. Strange closes his eyes and wraps his cloak around his body and disappears as well.

**End Prologue 2**


	3. Journey

**Marvel/Bleach**

Dr. Strange has successfully recruited the heroes in aiding him to stop Thanos' diabolical plan. Now they have all gathered in his home and headquarters, the Sanctum Sanctorum ready to undertake this great task. Wolverine is walking into the sitting room as he finishes tucking in his costume top. The other three heroes are spread out from one another to better view Dr. Strange. Thor is standing closest to the Sorcerer Supreme with his arms folded across his massive chest. Hulk is standing across the room leaning casually against a door frame. Wolverine hears the wine and creaking of the beam as it tries to support his weight. He just smiles and shakes his head. Psylocke is sitting with her legs crossed in an intricately carved chair near the center of the room. Wolverine strolls over to her and leans against the side of the chair and folds his arms. He looks up at the mystic and growls-

**Wolverine:** 'Alright Strange, ya got us all dressed up for this, it's time ta spill what the fuss is all about.'

Steven Strange blinks and looks at Logan as if seeing him for the first time.

**Dr. Strange: **'Yes of course. My sincerest apologies to the four of you for requesting your help in this matter on such short notice, you see, I became aware of Thanos' plan shortly before I contacted each of you. It appears that the Mad Titan is preparing to travel to another dimension in which is full of souls. It is similar to our limbo, this place which he intends to invade and conquer. It is a land with an untold amount of power for someone who knows how to manipulate it.'

Hulk shifts his weight and interrupts.

**Hulk:** '...Someone like Thanos. The last anyone heard, he was in Death's dimension licking his wounds.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'That's correct Br-Hulk… It is only now that he has gained enough strength back to venture out of Death's dimension and think of conquering other realms again. We must travel to this other universe and stop his scheme before he can cause any real harm. I would have requested more help, but given the urgency and time constraint of this matter, I could only gather you four. Luckily, I have already contacted the other world and have met up with a being that happens to know a thing or two about what is happening over there. He is willing to help us and has given me the teleportation coordinates for his location.'

The four heroes look at each other and back at Dr. Strange. It doesn't take Psylocke's telepathic ability to know that each one is thinking the exact same thing. Thor, however, is the one who speaks up.

**Thor:** 'Doth you know he speakest the truth? I trust your abilities good sorcerer, but by Odin's beard, we hath all been duped before.'

**Wolverine:** 'I have ta agree with goldilocks, doc, it's an unknown world where plenty of stuff can go wrong…'

Dr. Strange closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose in concentration.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Your fears do not go unwarranted; however, I know this man is telling the truth. I guess you can call it intuition. We have to stop Thanos and we have no other alternative other than to trust in this man's knowledge.'

He then turns around and whispers an incantation and suddenly the five of them are in a black nothingness! Slowly a door begins to materialize in the center of the infinite space.

**Wolverine:** 'Jeeze, Strange, warn somebody before ya go an' take out the flooring!'

Hulk looks over at his diminutive companion and cracks a rare smile.

**Hulk:** 'What's the matter, that healing factor of yours can't handle a little vertigo?'

**Wolverine:** 'Real funny, green jeans… If we weren't playin' all nice like right now, I'd wipe that stupid grin right off yer ugly mug.'

**Psylocke:** 'Boys, will you two be'ave? I swear, it's like I'm dealing with kindergartners who 'aven't 'ad their nappy.'

**Wolverine:** 'Relax darlin', we was just messin' around. No harm no foul right, Hulk?'

Without taking his concentration off of the gate's activation, Dr. Strange interrupts the squabble.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Gentlemen, lady, if you are finished? I'd like to further explain to you four how this is going to work. Our friend on the other side suggests that we teleport in under the cover of darkness so as not to cause a scene with the local denizens of that world. I believe that you would all agree to that course of action. He will meet us upon our arrival and then tell us further what we will be up against when we start looking for Thanos.'

He looks over at Thor and then down at his hammer.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Thor, your hammer, Mjllonir, has been known to create portals to other dimensions has it not?'

Thor unsheathes his hammer from his belt and looks at it with great confidence.

**Thor:** 'Verily. My Mjllonir is a most mighty weapon.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Interesting. If I gave you the coordinates, could you help strengthen my gate? Your Asgardian magick is truly great and any help would be greatly appreciated.'

**Thor:** 'Yon flattery is accepted and I will use my entire mite to defeat Thanos!'

Dr. Strange and Thor take stances of ten feet from each other. Thor holds Mjllonir out in front of him and the mystic puts his hands together in an intricately archaic pattern. The sorcerer supreme closes his eyes and speaks in a language not even Thor is familiar with and in seconds blue and green energies begin to swirl around his hands and shoot towards Thor's hammer! Mjllonir glows brightly and then Dr. Strange opens his eyes and says-

**Dr. Strange:** 'It is done. Thor, if you'd please.'

With that, Thor takes a step back and begins to spin his hammer over his head. With each rotation, wind seems to come out of nowhere and the blue and green energy surrounding the head of the hammer glows brighter and brighter! In moments the portal that has been open all this time glows with the same energies that engulfed Mjllonir and the entrance shifts and moves like ripples in a pond. Thor slows his hammer to a stop and the wind dies as well. The heroes stare at the now active portal with tense wonder.

**Dr. Strange:** 'We're ready to proceed. Remember, we will more than likely stand out, however since we are entering this world at night; it should not be too much of a problem. Follow me please.'

The heroes follow Strange into the portal with Thor entering last.

When they emerge on the other side of the gate they are completely taken by surprised by the time of day and the amount of people that they are now surrounded by! Five people coming out of nowhere dressed in fancy costumes in the middle of late-afternoon rush hour Japan.

**Wolverine:** 'What the hell, Strange, I thought ya said we'd "enter under the cover of darkness"? This aint night time ta me!'

**Dr. Strange:** 'It would appear that I have made a mistake when I compensated for the time difference in this alternate world. Hurry, let's find cover and try to keep discovery to a minimum.'

As the heroes start to move to a lesser crowded area, a child with his mother excitedly points to Hulk, crying-

**Excited child:** 'Look mama, it's Godzilla! Godzilla!'

**Anxious mother: **'Yes dear, I think they're filming something here, come along now.'

Wolverine elbows Hulk on the forearm.

**Wolverine:** 'Hey bub, looks like ya got a fan.'

Psylocke stops momentarily and telepathically masks their presence to the confused and shocked passer-by.

**Psylocke:** 'There, that should 'elp a little. Stephen, we need to hurry and find your contact here. With this many people I can't keep this up all day.'

Shortly they hear the clacking of wooden geta on concrete. The heroes see a man coming towards them wearing a green and white striped hat with a flowing overcoat and green pants.

**Wolverine:** 'Who's mister hat and clogs?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'That would be our contact I believe.'

The man with shaggy blonde hair stops before them, smiling slightly and bows.

**?: **'You must be Dr. Strange and the people who've come from a different dimension to stop this Thanos character. I am Kisuke Urahara and I'm going to assist you in your quest. However, I suggest we talk in a more private venue. I have a shop not too far from here; follow me.'

The heroes follow Kisuke to his shop aptly named "Urahara's Shop". The place is rather unassuming and in a quiet part of town. The six people walk up to the entrance and as Thor crosses the threshold he is met by a young girl with black pigtailed hair and bangs that split at the bridge of her nose.

**?:** 'Um, can you take off your boots?'

Thor looks down at her with a stare of shock and disbelief as she blocks his path.

**Thor:** 'How doth one so young speakest to the god of thunder in such a way? Mine boots were fashioned by the finest tailors in all of Asgard-

The girl interrupts him.

**?:** 'But it's rude to enter a home without removing your shoes.'

**Wolverine:** 'Yeah Thor, even gods should honor other's customs.'

**Kisuke:** 'It's alright Ururu, they're guests of ours and they aren't familiar with how we do things. Would you mind getting us some drinks? How is everyone with green tea?'

Thor ducks his head as he enters the shop.

**Thor:** 'Doth thou have a store of mead?'

**Ururu:** 'Um mister, what's "mead"? We have just what mister Urahara said…'

**Kisuke:** 'He means alcohol, Ururu. It's a drink of old. Thor, we have a drink here called sake if you'd like to try it?'

**Thor:** 'Sake… That sounds good. Ururu, doth thou have a goblet big enough for me?

**Ururu:** 'I can find a big glass…'

**Psylocke:** 'I'm sorry but do you 'ave any earl grey?'

Ururu looks quizzically at the woman with purple hair and quickly back at her benefactor. He just shrugs and with that, the girl exits in search of refreshments.

**Kisuke:** 'If you all would take a seat, I'll give you a little of what you should be prepared for when you enter Soul Society.'

**Hulk:** 'I'll stand, but thanks.'

**Thor:** 'I agree with the jade giant.'

**Wolverine:** 'C'mon Bets, let's not be rude to our host.'

Wolverine and Psylocke kneel in traditional Japanese fashion while Dr. Strange levitates Indian-style next to them. Ururu returns with tea for Wolverine, Urahara, Psylocke, and Dr. Strange. She then gives Thor his very own jug of sake.

**Thor:** 'I thank thee young one.'

As the people get settled in to listen to what Urahara has to say, a black cat with large green eyes, walks into the room and sits down regally next to Kisuke. Wolverine sniffs the air and looks down at the feline.

**Wolverine:** ''Scuse me Urahara-san, but I think that cat's more than it appears ta be.'

**Kisuke:** 'Oh, do you mean Yoruichi? How perceptive of you, Wolverine. Yoruichi, would you mind joining us in our discussion?'

The black cat stares at Logan then looks up at Kisuke and gets up and bounds out of the room. A minute later, a dark-skinned woman with long auburn-purple hair tied back into a ponytail, saunters into the room. Her bangs hang past her cheeks with wisps of hair forming "ear-like" curls on the sides of her face. She's dressed in a loose orange top with white shoulder guards and underneath the top wears a tight black shirt. Her pants are also of the form-fitting material as the top with white shin guards and shoes. Logan smiles at the woman as he shamelessly looks her over.

**Wolverine:** 'I knew there was a reason I always liked cats.'

**Kisuke:** 'I'd be careful Logan, this cat has claws.'

With that Yoruichi kneels back down next to Kisuke and greets his quests.

**Yoruichi:** 'Forgive my subterfuge, but I find it amusing for others to assume what they perceive with their eyes to be fact. This is my true form; though I do find that being a cat has its advantages.'

**Kisuke:** 'Alright folks, let's get down to business. The Soul Society has recently gone through some major upheaval. Three powerful captains of the thirteen court guard squads have recently betrayed the society, leaving disarray and mistrust in their wake. It's going to be very difficult for any of you to get in unnoticed. Not to mention that Head-Captain Yamamoto doesn't do anything without overwhelming proof and the guard tends to act first and ask questions later. There are some captains who listen better than others but it will still be difficult to reason with even them under the circumstances.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Do not worry about us Kisuke, we have faced insurmountable odds before and come out victorious. We will do all that we can to help your world and we greatly appreciate any help you can provide.'

**Hulk:** 'Yeah, and if we can't talk to them then we'll have to force them to listen.'

**Wolverine:** 'Now you're singin' my tune.'

**Kisuke:** 'I'm afraid that that isn't the worst of it. The Soul Society is as its name implies. It is a world comprised of energy and that any living being that would cross into that world would be destroyed by the sheer pressure of the place.

Thor adjusts his weight and proclaims-

**Thor:** 'I am a god! Surely Odin's Son can withstand this unknown universe.'

**Kisuke:** 'I can't argue with your heritage, Thor but I'd bet that even you would be hard pressed to survive long there in your physical body.'

With that, the heroes again exchange looks of steeled determination and unwavering will.

**Kisuke:** 'Unfortunately with the exception of Dr. Strange and his unique powers, none of you could be of much use in the Soul Society. But that's where I come in. Upon learning of what has happened, I started modifying my reishihenkanki to-'

Psylocke interrupts not knowing what Kisuke is talking about.

**Psylocke:** 'Forgive me Mr. Ura'ara, but even though I look Japanese, I am actually British. What does "reishi… henkanki" mean?'

**Wolverine:** 'I got this one, Urahara-san. Y'see Bets, Reishihenkanki roughly means "spirit exchangers". Course I couldn't begin ta tell ya what they do exactly.'

**Kisuke:** 'Basically they convert physical matter into spiritual particles and they allow the users to enter the society through the Senkaimon or "world penetration gate". The one problem with that scenario is that without permission from Soul Society, you have to travel through the Dangai or "prohibiting world". It's a bordering dimension between us and them, however, once open it closes after a certain amount of time and is protected by "cleaners" that destroy anything that they touch.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'No matter how we look at this situation it would seem that the odds are stacked against us. We have a job to do my friends, and we cannot let Thanos' tour of destruction go on a moment longer than it has already. I will not look down on any of you who do not want to continue forward but-'

Wolverine cuts him off mid-speech.

**Wolverine:** 'Save it Doc. I think we know what yer gettin' at. We didn't come all this way just ta back out now. We got this.'

He stands up and puts his hand out and gestures around for the others to do the same. One by one Thor, Psylocke, Hulk and Dr. Strange put their hand on top of Logan's gloved hand while Kiskuke and Yoruichi look on. At that moment a young tall kid with orange spikey hair walks into the room.

**?:** 'What's all this in here? Who're these guys and why are they playin' patty cake?'

Kisuke turns to the new comer and puts his fan in front of his face.

**Kisuke:** 'Ah Ichigo-kun, glad you could join us. Finished your training for the day? These beings are from another dimension similar to our own and have followed one of their powerful villains into our world to stop him. We were just making preparations for them to enter the Senkaimon when you showed up.'

Kisuke turns to the group and introduces Ichigo.

**Kisuke:** 'This is the guy who helped Soul Society flush out the traitors and stop terrible things from happening. I would offer for him to join you and be sort of an ambassador for the trip, but he has recently lost some of his power upon returning to the world of the living and he needs to strengthen himself once more.'

Ichigo rolls his eyes

**Ichigo:** 'Sure tell the whole world…'

Wolverine looks at Ichigo, sizing him up.

**Wolverine:** 'He doesn't look so tough. Kinda scrawny if ya ask me.'

**Ichigo:** 'What was that? Who you callin' scrawny, shorty?'

**Hulk:** 'Ha! The kid's got spunk, I'll give him that.'

Kisuke clears his throat and Ichigo calms down.

**Kisuke:** 'Ichigo, when you regain your Bankai, I want you to help put an end to this Thanos threat. Would you do that for me? There's no telling how much damage he can do if left unchecked.'

Ichigo looks at his mentor and back at the gathered heroes and shrugs.

**Ichigo:** 'Sure, I'll help; if it means protecting everyone, then no problem.'

Kisuke resumes explaining to his guests the particulars of the spirit exchangers. He gets up and heads over to a nearby cabinet and opens the door. The hatted man comes back over carrying what looks like a cigar box. Wolverine smiles;

**Wolverine:** 'Too bad bub, I only smoke Cubans.'

**Psylocke:** 'Logan!'

Kisuke pauses and looks quizzically at the scruffy man.

**Kisuke:** 'Ahhh… This isn't a box of cigars, Logan. This box contains my specially developed spirit exchangers that I created upon your arrival. You each get one.'

Urahara opens the box and inside are five gumball-sized spheres. He passes them out to each person. When he gets to Dr. Strange, the doctor picks the globular object up and examines it.

**Dr.** **Strange:** 'Fascinating.'

Kisuke cracks a knowing smile.

**Kisuke:** 'Alright, all you gotta do is pop these into your mouths and your bodies will switch places with your spirits. Go on.'

Wolverine shrugs and pops his into his mouth and almost instantly falls over, unmoving!

**Thor:** 'What trickery! Vile villain! You hath been in league with Thanos!'

**Psylocke:** 'No Thor, wait! Logan's not dead… I can still read 'is mind. 'E's in the room still and… Laughing at how fast you reacted… Wolverine; do you 'ave to be so bloody cavalier about all this? Kisuke is not our enemy, Thor; do as Logan and take the spirit exchanger.'

Wearily Thor, Hulk, and Psylocke put theirs into their mouths and simultaneously, in a flash of blue light, they switch their bodies with their souls! They look around at their now limp bodies lying on the floor and quickly find Wolverine leaning against a nearby wall.

**Wolverine:** 'Bout time guys… I was startin' ta get the feelin' that ya didn't want ta be 'round me anymore. Hey Strange, is this how ya feel all the time when ya go all spirit form?'

**Dr.** **Strange:** 'It's very similar indeed, Logan.'

**Kisuke:** 'You'll probably feel a bit disoriented but that should pass quickly. Follow me. We don't have much time.'

**Hulk:** 'Wait, you can see us? Just a minute ago, we couldn't see the runt, but it's like you, Yoruichi and Ichigo know exactly where we are.'

Kisuke bows his head and smiles.

**Kisuke: **'I'm a former captain of the 12th squad of soul society. This body that you see is a gigai… It's just a "house" for my true form. Ichigo, Yoruichi and I can see the spirit world; and now that you are in spirit forms, you can too. It's simple.'

He turns to leave and as the newly-souled heroes start to follow, they hear an in-human roar followed by several other roars of the same decibel coming from outside the shop! Kiskuke and Ichigo look at each other and the orange-haired boy nods. He reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a stone-like amulet with a red braided strap, and puts it to his chest. Just like with the four heroes before him, he switches to a souled-body but he is dressed in a black kimono with a giant sword wrapped in white cloth strapped to his back by a blood-red tether. The gathered force looks at him with shocked features.

**Ichigo:** 'What're you guys waitin' for? Come on!'

**Wolverine:** 'Bossy little…'

In the instant before the heroes face off against whatever is outside, Betsy detects another presence within their orange-haired companion. _What is this? There seems to be an immense, barely contained energy within this young man... and another mind as well! I wonder if 'e is aware of it. _

With the exception of Dr. Strange who is still in his human form, Yoruichi and Urahara, the group rushes out of the shop and into the small parking lot outside. They look up to see 35 forms coming at them! Immediately the heroes form a defensive semi-circle in response to the incoming threat. Ichigo stands in the middle of the crescent formed by Hulk, Wolverine, Psylocke and Thor. He grabs the hilt of his wrapped sword and removes it from his back, and as he does the cloth starts to flow away from the blade. The blade is thick and heavy and mostly black with a sharpened edge that leads to a point. Ichigo looks back at the newbies and says-

**Ichigo:** 'They're called hollow. They're formed when a soul stays in this world for too long or when it gets corrupted. As a soul reaper, it's my job to beat these things so they don't harm any innocent people. Try to keep up.'

With that he leaps off to bring the fight to the hollows!

**Thor:** 'Yon Ichigo is very sure of himself. Aye, let us do battle!'

Thor swings his hammer into the air and fly's off. Wolverine and Hulk look at each other and smirk. Hulk jumps off towards the hollowed souls with Wolverine popping his claws and bounding behind him. Psylocke puts her left hand over her right and moves her left hand in an arc away from her other hand. A pink energy fills the void that her hand made and forms a katana made of pure kinetic energy! She then runs to join the fray. As the heroes get closer to the mass of hollows, they notice things that they find familiar in a shocking way. The creatures wear masks and have bone like armor in various places. Some are larger than others and a few can fly. There is one gigantic hollow in the middle of the rest of them. The one constant with all the hollows gathered is that all their armor bears a striking resemblance to the armor that Thanos wears. The other familiar thing is that no matter how the mask lays on the hollow's face, it mirrors Thanos' visage!

**Ichigo:** 'Wait a minute guys; these hollow feel different than usual. What's up with their masks and armor? And their… kimonos?'

**Thor:** 'Is something amiss Ichigo? These creatures resemble the very villain we art searching for! Thanos is a vile being who wilt stop at nothing to attain power. We shall fight ever on to stop his evil reign!'

**Ichigo:** 'Uh… That's good to know big guy. But I meant that they don't usually wear clothes; especially not soul reaper kimonos!'

As Ichigo observes, they all have the familiar kimonos of soul reapers.

**Psylocke:** 'I can't read their minds. There's not even a trace of humanity in any of them!'

**Wolverine:** 'That just makes it easier fer us, darlin'. Hulk, give me a fastball special.'

Hulk looks down at the little man.

**Hulk:** 'A fast what?'

**Wolverine:** 'Forget it… Just throw me at the largest one.'

**Hulk:** 'Throw you? That, I can do.'

The giant picks up Logan and hurls him at the center most Hollow. As Wolverine is flying through the air he just grins wickedly preparing for the moment he can unleash his claws on his soulless opponent! Ichigo sees the little man flying straight at the gigantic hollow and starts to go after him but is stopped by a strong hand on his shoulder.

**Thor:** 'Let him go Ichigo. That man tis strong and fearless! He hath no care for himself and if thou should get in his way… He wouldest surely cut you down as well.'

**Ichigo:** 'He's crazy, and that thing is huge! Fine, the others are getting closer so let's see what you got.'

**Thor:** 'Verily!'

The two split off from each other to take on their own hollow. Ichigo comes up against three human sized hollows. They roar and attack as one! He smirks and disappears right as the three collide in a cloud of dust. He comes up behind them and brings his sword down, slicing all three of them in half at once! He looks back just to see how Wolverine is doing and is shocked by what he sees. The little man has sliced off the gargantuan hollow's right arm and is climbing its neck to get at his face! All Ichigo can hear is a wild roar coming from the scrapper. He then looks over at Thor who has just thrown his hammer at one of the flying hollow. The hammer moves with amazing speed as it connects with the targets' face and shatters its mask! The flyer falls and disintegrates before it hits the ground. The hammer rebounds and comes back to the god's outstretched hand. He then spins the hammer and lightening shoots out of the head, frying four more hollow! He lands on a near-by building and looks at the remaining forces.

**Ichigo:** 'Whoa… That power is… captain level!'

Psylocke has engaged four human sized hollow and is surrounded by the monsters. The British ninja stands tense and ready as two attack her from opposite angles! She evades the first blow from behind by back flipping onto its fist and lunging at the front attacker. She takes a swing with her telekinetic katana and slices its head clean off! She hits the ground before the hollow disintegrates and uses her telekinesis to throw the other two into her first opponent. Again using the power of her mind, she creates a pillar and sends it crashing down on top of the three hollow, destroying them! Meanwhile, after throwing Wolverine, Hulk engages two large hollows, five human sized, and two flyers overhead. He smiles and punches the street in front of him. The tremor causes the hollow to lose their balance, and then Hulk picks up a chunk of street and hurls it at a flyer. The chunk of asphalt hits the hollow with enough force to create a sonic boom! The force of the sound is enough to disintegrate the other flying hollow! He charges the grounded hollow scattering them like bowling pins in his wake. The jade giant rips one in half and before it turns to nothing, uses its carcass as a bludgeon to destroy another one of its companions! One of the larger hollow shoots a beam of red energy at Hulk's chest; striking him with all of its force! When he emerges from the smoke, Hulk brushes off the residual energy and roars while charging the bigger foe! He blocks a second beam with the back of his left hand and connects with a tremendous right hook destroying the hollow where it stands! He turns to face the other large hollow and rips out a light post that's near-by. He takes a large step forward and then leaps at his foe, running him through with the broken end. He picks up the skewered hollow and in one swift motion, flips him over his head and into the ground vaporizing it! He drops the smoking pole and looks up at Ichigo.

**Hulk:** 'I haven't seen too much from you kid. Show us how strong you are!'

**Ichigo:** 'Wha? But I just got done training! Heh, fine, these guys are nothing anyway.'

Ichigo holds his sword away from his body, and as he does, a blue swirl of energy starts to form around it.

**Ichigo:** 'Getsuga…'

He disappears and comes up behind the thirteen remaining hollow.

**Ichigo:** 'Tenshou!'

He swings his sword in a wide arc and the energy that was surrounding the sword is unleashed in a massive crescent, vaporizing the hollow before they can even react to him! As the last of their spirit energy fades, Ichigo hears a thunderous sound as the hollow Wolverine was fighting comes crashing to the ground! He leaps off the now disintegrating hollow and sheathes his claws.

**Ichigo:** 'How the hell did you defeat that giant hollow? You're like "this big"!'

He makes a gesture with his hands referring to where Wolverine would stand if compared to the hollow he just destroyed. Logan grins and gets up into Ichigo's face and pops his claws!

**Wolverine:** 'I don't know bub, ya wanna find out?'

Just then Kisuke and Dr. Strange walk up to the squabbling duo.

**Dr. Strange:** 'That will do Logan, sheath your claws.'

As Dr. Strange lightly chides Wolverine, three people come running up to the force that has gathered outside of Urahara's Shop. One is a teenage girl with long orange hair, wearing blue flower-like berets near her temples. The other two are young men, with one almost as tall as Thor; dark skin and a calm expression, while the other is wiry and dressed in pressed white clothing. He wears rectangular glasses and has a grim expression. They stop just before they get to Ichigo and the girl cries out.

**?:** 'Ichigo are you alright? We detected a lot of spiritual pressure and then sensed you. Who are these people?'

**Ichigo:** 'Hey Orihime, Chad. Ishida, you came too huh?'

Psylocke doesn't need to be a telepath to know that there is some rivalry with the orange-haired soul reaper and the one dressed in white.

**Ishida:** 'Of course I came. With the amount of energy that was being emitted, there was no way you could have handle this on your own. As usual I was right because I see you had help in dealing with the mass of hollows.'

He looks at the colorfully dressed heroes and nods. Psylocke catches his thoughts as he looks over the newcomers. _They're not embarrassed to go out in public like that? With my skills, I could greatly improve on the designs of their costumes, especially that giant green man. He needs to put on some clothes! _She smiles to herself and refocuses her attention on what is happening.

**Ichigo:** 'What was that? It's because you're too slow to get here to help out. I swear you do it on purpose to agitate me.'

**Ishida:** 'It is my pride as a Quincy to never help out a soul reaper.'

As the banter and bickering continues, Kisuke interrupts the high school students with the clearing of his throat.

**Kisuke:** 'Please you two. These new beings you see before you have come from a different world to stop a great threat.'

He pauses and turns to the heroes, ignoring the rivals.

**Kisuke:** 'It appears that this Thanos has found a way to turn low level soul reapers into a hollowed version of him self… He's even more dangerous than I first realized. Come; we don't have time to waste.'

With that the group heads back inside and Urahara leads the heroes down into a hidden chamber below his shop. What the pathway leads to is entirely unexpected. The heroes find themselves in what appears to be a rocky desert with full sunlight and wind! Wolverine sniffs the air.

**Wolverine:** 'Smells kosher, Urahara. This aint artificial is it?'

**Thor:** 'What sorcery tis this? Doth such a place exist under yon place of business?

**Kisuke:** 'Not sorcery and yes. This place resembles where Yoruichi and I used to train in soul society. It's where you'll be traveling to soul society from. Be careful though; as I told you that you'll be entering illegally and that you'll have to get through the gate before the cleaners get you.'

As he finishes speaking, a shoji screened doorway appears and opens into a bright lit nothingness. Hulk, Wolverine, Psylocke and Thor start to head through when they realize that Dr. Strange hasn't even switched to his soul yet.

**Psylocke:** 'Aren't you coming with us?'

**Dr. Strange**: 'I'll be heading there momentarily. I'm going to finish up some things with Mr. Urahara. My job will be to convince the head captain to hear us out and to hopefully stop any useless confrontation. Good luck to all of you.'

She accepts this and the screen closes behind her with a wooden "thunk". The four of them find themselves in a dark tunnel cave-like passage way. They start to run for the exit knowing that they don't have much time before they're detected. As they continue to run they start to see a flicker of light at the far end of the tunnel.

**Wolverine:** 'Look guys, there's the exit! Just a little further and we'll be outta this hell hole.'

Just then they feel a rumbling beneath their feet and Psylocke turns around to see a massive wall of shadow barreling down on their location!

**Psylocke:** 'Um, I think that's the "cleaners" Ura'ara was talking about!

**Hulk:** 'Talk about you're timing…'

**Wolverine:** 'Ah hell!'

The four of them kick it into high gear as they try and outrun this deadly force. As they run, the light gets bigger and brighter but as the exit becomes bigger, so does the noise and pressure of the cleaner! Thor breaks the daylight first, quickly followed by Wolverine. Psylocke is bringing up the rear and she realizes that her and Hulk aren't going to make it. While running she puts up a telekinetic field behind her in front of the massive wall of shadow that's almost at her heels! The wall slams into her shield and the sheer backlash of it sends Betsy into a daze! She stumbles and Hulk looks back just in time to see the cleaner break her barrier. He grabs her and throws her at the exit and into Thor's arms! He shrugs and says-

**Hulk:** 'Sorry guys.'

He winds up and puts all of his unearthly might into a single punch to try and stop the unstoppable! All that the others see is a humongous cloud of dust and debris shoot out from where the exit had been just mere seconds ago. They all look shocked as they seem to have lost one person already on this improbable quest…

**Psylocke:** 'Oh no… 'E saved me when 'e could 'ave just jumped out… '

**Thor:** 'Hulk. Thou wert a grand warrior. Valhalla shall sing of your feats!'

**Wolverine:** '…'

As the heroes begin to mourn their fallen ally they hear rubble and earth being moved some fifty feet away. Slowly a big green figure emerges from the smoke and dust holding his bruised but healing right arm.

**Hulk:** 'Urahara… was… right… that thing is strong but I'm the strongest.'

**Psylocke:** 'Thank goodness! 'Ulk, you didn't 'ave to… 'What if you 'ad gotten trapped in that world?'

**Wolverine:** 'Relax Bets, big green can't be killed that easy. Believe me.'

He walks over to where Hulk is and slaps him on his singed arm. Hulk slightly grimaces and tries to shove Logan out of his way but he just smiles and dodges. The heroes then stop and look around at their new surroundings. The world seems massive as they look beyond the barren patch of land they find themselves on. With forests and mountain ranges, and what even looks like a giant city. They decide to split up to try and cover more ground in their search for Thanos.


	4. A Meeting A Clash of Blades

**Wolverine/Soi Fon**

Upon entering the outskirts of Soul Society thru Urahara's portal, the heroes split up to better search for clues to the whereabouts of Thanos. Wolverine walks off in the direction with the most scents.

After a short time of walking, he enters a semi-derelict town. He enters the town's bar where he sits down and casually orders a drink. The patrons of the bar are wearing time-period clothing whereas Logan is wearing his traditional yellow and blue costume so he definitely stands out! The bartender hesitates momentarily and looks at him funny but complies with his request. A few guys in the bar start talking about the newcomer and they start to make trouble.

**Group leader: **'Hey buddy, ya new 'round here? We haven't seen ya before. What's up with the way yer dressed; are ya tryin' ta insult us? This ain't no costume party pal!'

Wolverine takes a drink of his sake and thinks to himself, _this place ain't no different from where I'm from. Some people just can't let a guy drink in peace. _

**Wolverine: **'I'm tryin' ta enjoy my drink fellas, so if ya wanna keep yer tongues, I suggest ya take yer business elsewhere.'

**Group leader: **'Wha? Ya can't talk ta us that way! Guys, let's show this newbie why we're in District 80. The most feared part of Kusajishi!'

Wolverine thinks, _'Loitering Spirits'… Must be the lowest of the low 'round these parts._

The eight men rush Logan. Chaos ensues and the entire bar is quickly engulfed in bedlam as Wolverine mops the floor with everyone who challenges him! After the fight, he finishes his sake and pulls out a five dollar bill and places it on the bar. The bartender, who was cowering behind the bar picks it up and says to the short hair-suit man;

**Bartender: **'What's this? This ain't money!'

Wolverine stops just inside the door frame, turns partially around, and lets out a low guttural growl. The owner quickly changes his tone as he shrinks in fear.

**Bartender:** 'Thank you for your patronage!'

He walks out and begins his quest anew. Logan leaves the dilapidated district and shortly after enters a forested area. After some time he comes out into a clearing with cliffs on either side. He stops and sniffs at the air.

**Wolverine: **'Ya can come out now, I caught yer scent way back on the outskirts of that town.'

A few seconds later, what seems like a disembodied voice speaks out.

**?:** 'You sensed me even though I was completely masking my Spiritual Pressure; I'm impressed.'

**Wolverine:** 'Whatever that means. All's I know is that ya have a sent I've never smelled before. Kinda like… Honey and smoke.'

Suddenly a woman shorter than the 5'3" Wolverine, appears before him dressed in a white haori tied with a yellow sash. Her arms are sheathed in black coverings. Underneath her white haori she is dressed in a black fighting kimono and pants. This woman with short chin-length hair and two long braided ponytails wrapped in white cloth looks over at Logan, sizing him up.

**?:** 'Are you suppressing your Spiritual Pressure as well or are you that weak?'

Wolverine looks at the woman and cracks a smile.

**Wolverine:** 'Ya sure know how ta make a guy feel welcomed. Is everyone here's so friendly or did ya roll out the welcome wagon just fer me? I'm not here ta make trouble, darlin', I'm just here with some friends on some business and maybe ya know a thing or two of what were lookin' fer; care ta help?'

The woman ponders Logan's words for a moment and smiles mockingly.

**?:** 'Forgive me; you should at least know of to whom you speak. My name is Soi Fon and I am the second captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squad. Normally, you wouldn't see me at all, but we now have stricter guidelines on how to deal with Ryoka such as you.'

**Wolverine:** '"Ryoka"? My friends call me Logan but since there seems to be no getting' through ta ya; call me Wolverine!'

The small woman smiles and lunges towards Wolverine! He's surprised by her speed and barely gets his hands up to defend himself. She throws a round house kick at his head and even though he gets his hands up to block the blow, the mere force of the attack sends him flying thru the nearby rock face! A moment later, Wolverine emerges from the pile of rubble, brushing off the dirt and debris from his slightly tattered uniform.

**Wolverine:** 'Alright darlin', I don't usually like ta fight dames, but I'll make an exception fer ya!'

He lets out a spine-tingling howl and rushes toward the captain. He swings with a right hook which she dodges and she counters with two quick jabs to Wolverine's kidneys. He blocks her next attack and gets in a bone-crunching left chop to her jaw! She staggers back a step surprised.

**Soi Fon:** 'You… Struck me; with more force than you should have. Who are you?

**Wolverine:** 'As I said, I'm just a guy, lookin' fer another guy. Ya fight pretty good, girl. Yer fast and strong; I like that.'

Soi Fon stares shocked at Logan; mouth agape.

**Soi Fon:** 'You shouldn't even be able to see my attacks when I use Flash Step. Your spiritual pressure is so low that you shouldn't even be here. WHO ARE YOU RYOKA?'

Wolverine frowns.

**Wolverine:** 'Ta be honest, I can barely see yer movements when ya attack. I feel the air shift when ya move and my reflexes do the rest. Maybe if ya can stop the air from shiftin' then ya might have a shot at beatin' me. And just fer the record, I've been called a lot of names over the years but that 'ryoka' bit is wearin' thin. Looks like I'm just gonna have ta shut yer trap if 'n I want ya ta stop callin' me that.'

Soi Fon cocks her head to the side as if she were trying to understand his words. She then reaches behind her back and slowly draws her sword.

**Soi Fon:** 'Big words coming from such a small man. You're going to shut me up? I don't draw my zanbakutou very often, but you should know that when I do, I do so with the intention to kill.'

Wolverine balls up his fists and flexes his forearms. Instantly, three foot long blades shoot from each hand, between his knuckles!

**Wolverine:** 'The same goes fer me. I don't pop these puppies without wantin' ta use 'em!

Before either attack, Soi Fon throws off her haori to better fight the wild man. Underneath her haori and kimono top, she wears a smaller top that hooks around her neck and is backless.

**Wolverine:** 'Lookin' good, darlin'.'

The woman again blushes and the battle starts anew, both combatants giving and receiving blow after blow. Soifon rushes in for a blow to Wolverine's head only to have it blocked by his claws. Upon contact, sparks fly from the force of the attack!

**Soi Fon:** 'What? How do you fend off my attack with just blades from your gloves? My zanbakutou should slice right thru those things!'

Grunting, Wolverine says-

**Wolverine:** 'Well… for starters, these "things" are a part of me and for another thing, ya'd be hard pressed ta slice through adamantium!'

With that he breaks off the stalemate and lashes out, connecting with her forearm, slicing thru her arm sheath down to the vulnerable muscle! She screams in pain and shock as she skips back a few yards. Holding her bleeding left arm, she stares wildly at Wolverine.

**Soi Fon:** 'You're insane... Clearly you don't know who you're dealing with. I am a Soul Reaper. I am a death god and you are about to know why.

Wolverine smiles back.

**Wolverine:** 'A 'death god huh? I've tussled with death a few times in my life and I have ta tell ya, yer the best death has looked yet!'

She blushes for an instant before regaining her composure.

**Soi Fon:** 'E-enough; time to finish this. Jinteki syajusetsu, Suzumebachi!'

In a flash of light and energy that engulfs her right hand, her sword changes into a wrist mounted needle-like dagger that extends over her middle finger.

**Wolverine:** '"Sting the enemy to death" huh? That's pretty impressive name ya got there for yer new toy, sweetheart.'

She just stares wickedly at her opponent.

**Soi Fon:** 'So you understand Japanese do you? If you think that's impressive, gnat, you should know that if I hit you twice in the same spot with this "toy" as you call it, you'll die!'

Without saying a word, she vanishes and reappears in front of Wolverine. She ducks his attack and stabs him directly in the heart! He staggers back from the force of the blow and clutches his chest and looks down. As he does he sees a black shape start to form on his chest.

**Wolverine:** 'What the?'

Soi Fon smiles cockily.

**Soi Fon:** 'That's one houmonka. Hurts only slightly doesn't it? Trust me; the second one will be very painful.'

**Wolverine:** '"Hornets crest"? Again with the Japanese… I guess if yer a shinigami and we came here from Japan it would reckon ya'd speak the language…'

He tries to brush the mark from his chest but it doesn't even smudge. He shrugs and grins at Soi Fon then rushes her with renewed fervor! The battle rages on and it is fierce, with both sustaining injuries. The kimono that Soi Fon wears hangs in tatters on her cut and bruised body. Wolverine's suit is barely covering his body and he is almost completely covered in black 'butterfly' shaped markings. With both breathing heavily, Soi Fon speaks-

**Soi Fon:** 'You are a worthy opponent, Wolverine, but this has to end. You are intruding in a place where you do not belong and I am sorry that I have to end your life.'

She uses Flash Step once more and connects with the very Hornets Crest that she started the battle with on Wolverine's chest! His eyes go wide and his mouth falls open with blood and spittle escaping as he lets out a final breath. Soi Fon whispers-

**Soi Fon: **'Farewell.'

She steps back and watches him stagger while he clutches his chest. His eyes roll into the back of his head and he collapses face first in a cloud of dust, unmoving. Slowly his other wounds open up and begin to bleed out. Soi Fon begins to walk away, stopping to turn partially around to speak.

**Soi Fon:** 'What you are feeling right now is Suzumebachi's poison coursing through your veins. It's unstoppable and your suffering will be over very soon.'

Just then a Hell Butterfly appears and tells her of an important captain's meeting that she must attend immediately. She takes one more look at her fallen opponent and disappears. The wind blows sand and dust over Wolverine's unmoving form.


	5. Immovable meets Unstoppable

**Hulk/Kenpachi**

**Immovable meets Unstoppable  
**

As the heroes enter Soul Society, they decide to split up to cover more ground in searching for the whereabouts of Thanos. Hulk, knowing that he can cover more ground than most of the others, leaps into the air and covers five miles in a single jump.

When he finally lands he causes a tremendous crater in the ground! When he emerges from the cloud of dust and rubble, he is met by fifty men and women dresses in black kimonos and carrying swords. Hulk casually brushes off his massive shoulder and looks down at the gathered forces.

**Hulk:** 'I take it that you're not here to help me find Thanos are you?'

**Soul Reaper:** 'Ryoka, you are in direct violation of ordinance 13-5! We will not allow you to pass. Surrender now, or face the consequences!'

**Hulk:** 'Hm. Not very accommodating are you? Well I have no intention of surrendering to you because my friends and I are on a mission to save the universe… Yours included.'

**Soul Reaper: **'Ha! The Soul Society in danger? There's nothing you could do anyway if that were the case. I've heard enough from this green-skinned intruder. Squad 11… Attack!'

**Hulk:** 'This isn't going to end well for you…'

With that, the division attacks as one and even though Hulk is seven feet tall and 1,500 pounds, they quickly engulf his form. Soon there is no sign of the Jade Giant at all, just a mass of black and flashes of steel in the sunlight! Hulk lets out an ear-splitting roar and tosses the mass of bodies away from him! He looks down at the faces of these men and women and sees anger, defiance and disbelief. He also knows that there isn't anymore talking necessary because these fools won't listen to reason. He raises his hands high over his head and brings them down with earth-shattering force causing a tremor that upends half of the forces! He then brings his hands together in a tremendous hand-clap, causing a force of wind to scatter the remaining soul reapers. A couple of men regain their footing and rush the green goliath, slashing at his bare skin with their swords.

**Hulk:** 'Idiots.'

Hulk grabs the man closest to him and hurls him towards his companions, knocking them down in the process. The warrior caves in a distant rock formation and lays limp. Hulk quickly makes short work of the remaining combatants. When the dust finally settles, Hulk looks over the carnage in his wake and shakes his head.

**Hulk:** 'What a waste… I tried to tell them I wasn't here to fight.'

**?:** 'For someone who didn't come here lookin' for a fight, ya sure made quick work of my squad. There's nothin' more pathetic than gettin' beat when ya outnumber your opponent. 'Cept of course gangin' up on him in the first place! They're not gonna be able to live with themselves for the next couple of months because of you, and guess who's gonna have to hear about it? Me. And that pisses me off.'

**Hulk:** 'Another one huh? You here to "make me surrender" too? I don't like to be held up and that's all I've gotten since I've been here. You better have a good excuse for getting in my way.'

The new comer, with spiky hair and an eye patch over his right eye, is dressed in a similar way as the ones Hulk fought not long before. A difference being that he also wears a white, ripped-sleeve flowing jacket over his black garb, with a worn-down sword tucked into his white belt.

**?:** 'Hahahahaha! You talk big, I'll give ya that. The fact that ya can even stand and look me in the eye at all means you're no pushover. I might enjoy this a little. Let me tell ya the name of the man that's gonna kill ya. Kenpachi Zaraki; I'm the captain of the 11th squad, the most brutal and blood-thirsty squad in Soul Society!'

Just then a child with pink hair pops up over Kenpachi's shoulder and gleefully exclaims-

**?:** 'Oooh Kenny, you look happy! You're lucky Green-green, that Kenny's in such a good mood cuz when Kenny's upset he's not very fun to be around.'

Kenpachi looks over at the little girl and softens his tone.

**Kenpachi:** 'Yachiru, I want you to watch my fight from over there. Don't interfere OK?'

**Yachiru:** 'You got it Kenny! Don't beat him too bad, 'k?'

Yachiru vanishes from the man's shoulder and reapers on a large boulder fifty yards away.

**Yachiru:** 'Have fun, Kenny!'

Kenpachi smiles slightly and then turns back to the green behemoth. He casually walks up to Hulk and looks up into his green-hued eyes.

**Kenpachi:** 'Are you strong, mean green? I hope you're strong because if I came all the way out here for a pansy than I'm gonna be in a bad mood.'

Hulk looks down at this 6' 7 1/2" boastful man and just smiles. He then lets off a straight kick to Zaraki's chest that sends him flying into the air and through five trees then into a mountain, collapsing it!

**Hulk:** 'Is that strong enough for you, spikey?'

He turns to walk away and suddenly begins to feel the ground shake under his feet. He hears a laugh that increases with the tremors. Hulk looks into the distance and sees a yellow glow of energy emerging from the trees. Kenpachi walks out into the clearing once more, brushing off his slightly tattered kimono.

**Kenpachi:** 'Oh yeah, this is gonna be real fun, I can tell. Who are ya friend? Let me know the name of such a strong opponent.'

Hulk folds his arms and looks at Kenpachi with a bit of curiosity.

**Hulk:** 'Y'know, I know a guy I'd think you'd get along with… My name is Hulk and I've come here with some people to search for a threat to both our dimensions.'

The captain smirks at Hulk and shakes his head. As he does, the bells attached to the ends of his hair tinkle a bit.

**Kenpachi:** 'Well the Soul Society has rules regarding unauthorized entry into our world. Plus, I wouldn't get any satisfaction at all if I were ta just let ya go. Oh no, ya wanna go? You're gonna have ta beat me first!'

**Hulk:** 'Fine.'

With that they charge each other, each leading with their right fists. They connect and the resulting concussive fallout leaves the surrounding area bare of all trees and bushes! Both men take a step back and it seems Kenpachi is the worse for wear on this exchange.

**Kenpachi:** 'Heh. Yeah that's the stuff.'

He then rushes Hulk once more and ducks under a blow and comes up with a knee to Hulk's mid-section. Again he connects twice more with a chop to the gargantuan's throat and a punch to his temple! The Hulk staggers back momentarily.

**Kenpachi:** 'Not bleeding yet huh? Let's change that shall we? Hah!'

He throws a monstrous right hook straight at Hulk's face, only for it to be caught mid-swing by Hulk's gigantic fist! He pulls Zaraki in close and delivers an uppercut of his own to the captain's jaw! Still holding the soul reaper's wrist, Hulk slams him into the ground, burying him in rubble and then sends him flying back into the trees with a thunderous kick! Slowly this time, he once again emerges from the tree line. Still holding a grin, but covered in bruises and blood, Kenpachi speaks.

**Kenpachi:** 'I think it's time to take off the kid gloves… Y'see I give my opponents certain advantages in battle because if I didn't the fights wouldn't be fun at all… ya obviously didn't need my handicap so now you're gonna see my full power, Hulk!'

He reaches up to his eye patch and rips it off, sending waves of energy out in all directions! He then draws his sword and charges at Hulk once more. He slices at Hulk's mid-section, spilling blood. He takes another swing, cutting up across his massive chest! Hulk clutches his torso and bends over, breathing heavily. Zaraki looks down on his adversary disappointingly.

**Kenpachi:** 'See? This is why I don't cut loose from the beginning. Two hits and you're finished. What a waste…'

The captain turns to walk away and Hulk starts to heave and growl. He slowly looks up at his attacker with wild blood-shot green eyes! When he rises to full height his wounds are barely visible and he has doubled his musculature!

**Kenpachi:** 'What's this?'

**Hulk:** 'Hrrggh hrrggh… HULK SMASH SPIKEY HAIR!'

Hulk comes down hard with both fists, barely missing his opponent's head. Kenpachi tries to counter but any damage he's doing barely affects the gamma-irradiated monster! Hulk won't stop and all reason and sanity has been drained from his face. He has reverted back to Savage Hulk and there isn't a being known who can match his raw power! Zaraki does all that he can just to keep from getting pulverized by this being's huge fists, but he doesn't go unscathed. Suddenly he sees an opening and channels a concentrated attack at Hulk, sending him back, halting his onslaught.

**Kenpachi:** 'This is amazing! I've never fought someone with so much strength!'

Just as he is about to reengage the Hulk, a Hell butterfly floats by announcing an urgent captain's meeting and that all fighting and activity should cease at once!

**Kenpachi:** 'Ah, not now… Things were just getting' good! Fine. Yachiru, we gotta go for now. Hulk! I expect you to be here when I get back! I'll be disappointed if I can't fight you again.'

**Yachiru:** 'Bye green-green! You're strong and Kenny likes you!'

With that, he disappears along with his pink-haired companion, leaving Hulk alone with all his unbridled fury. He stands there seething and finally lets out a long howl filled with anger and rage! His breathing slowly calms down and soon he starts to relax. He then wanders off into the woods again in search of his original target.


	6. Lightning and Ice

**Thor/Toshiro**

**Lightning and Ice  
**

Upon entering the Soul Society via the portal, the heroes find themselves transported back in time it seems. The heroes agree that it would be best if they split up to cover more ground. With that, Thor throws his hammer and launches himself into the air, taking flight.

After a time of searching the air, the God of Thunder touches down near a mountain range. The world is immense with its unique terrain and diverse locations. Thor surveys his environment and comes across an individual with blond hair standing about fifty feet away.

**Thor:** 'Ho there stranger! Dost thou know this place?'

The stranger is wearing a black flowing top with black flowing pants as well. He starts to walk towards Thor and as he does he casually moves his hand to the handle of his sword in preparation. He stops a few yards away from the 6'6" caped man and speaks-

**?:** 'Ryoka, by Soul Society decree, you are hereby ordered to surrender peacefully, or face annihilation.'

Thor frowns and looks down at the 5'7" individual who has just verbally assaulted him.

**Thor:** 'Verily you jest blonde man, for I am Thor, god of Thunder, and I have bested frost giants and slain fire demons. What right do you have to impede my quest?'

**?: **'A "god" you say? Well I'm not convinced… I don't detect any Spiritual Pressure from you and I won't be intimidated by your size either! My name is Kira Izuru. I am the lieutenant from the third division, of the Thirteen Court Guard Squad. Prepare to be defeated!'

The lieutenant then disappears and reappears right in front of Thor, and comes down hard with a strike from his sword! Thor quickly halts the assault with his bare hand. The Soul Reaper is surprised momentarily by his strength but quickly recovers and kicks Thor in the chest, sending him back 25 feet! Thor halts his momentum near the base of a plateau.

**Thor:** 'Thou hast great strength, Kira Izuru, but don't think that a simple kick can make me yield.'

As he says this, Thor throws out his fist and smashes the nearby rock face into boulders the size of small cars. He then picks one up and hurls it at his target!

**Izuru:** 'You're too slow… That feeble attack won't work on me!'

He swings his sword and slices clean thru the boulder as if it were made of soft clay! He again rushes Thor head on, and again, Thor stops his attack with his bare hands!

**Thor:** 'It wouldst seem, young pup, that you beist the one who is "too slow".'

The God of Thunder then quickly pulls the lieutenant in close and strikes him hard in the face, sending an echo thru the region! He follows that up with two rib-cracking blows to Izuru's mid-section. In one swift motion he then throws Kira thru the remaining plateau face!

**Thor:** 'Thou fought well, but you now comprehend the mite of Thor! Go, young one, lick your wounds and reflect on this battle. For on this day, you have been bested by greatness.'

Thor dusts off his shoulder and begins to walk away when he hears the sound of crumpling rock behind him…

**Izuru:** 'You… arrogant… pompous… windbag! How dare you assume that a few punches can put me down? You don't know a thing about me. You are, however, about to find out why I am the lieutenant of the third squad. Raise your head, Wabisuke!'

With a flash of light and a rush of energy, the sword in Izuru's right hand lengthens and flashes out violently, until it settles in an angled state similar to an 'L' with another shorter right angled blade on the end.

**Izuru:** 'This is my zanbakutou's true form, Thor, and now prepare for my true power.'

Thor looks at his opponent with an arctic stare. Without taking his eyes off the warrior, he reaches down with his right hand and pulls out his hammer that has been at his side for the entire fight.

**Thor: **'Thou dost proclaim too much, Kira Izuru. I must commend you, young warrior in thine ability to absorb punishment. But like you, my weapon has a name as well. Mjollnir has been with me since I was deemed a warrior. He and I are inseparable and we wish for the same thing. Always. You will soon know true power!'

Thor starts to swing his hammer around using the wrist strap and a blue energy starts to engulf its head. Before anything else can happen, Izuru rushes towards him and Thor has to stop Mjiollnir mid-swing to block the oncoming onslaught of quick successive attacks. Izuru strikes his hammer 25 times before he breaks off the attack. As he does, Thor brings his hammer down and the very ground cracks below it.

**Thor:** 'What bewitchment is this? What hath thou done to Mjollnir?'

Izuru stands back a few feet confidently looking at his fallen opponent.

**Izuru: **'Ah, not so boastful now, "God of Thunder"? You are experiencing Wabisuke's inherent power. Every time he connects with something he doubles the weight of the object. Look at you, you can't even stand up. That is why my zanbakutou is named 'Apologize'. It is because when my opponents can no longer raise their head to fight, they try and beg for forgiveness before I slay them.'

As he speaks, Thor just stares up at him.

**Izuru: **'Beg all you want, however, you will not get any sympathy from me!'

Izuru brings his sword down around Thor's head and as he does, Thor blocks the blade with his chain-mailed left arm and brings his hammer up from the ground to strike Izuru under his jaw with a thunderous blow that when it connects, lightening sparks from the impact! He makes no sound as he twists and turns a mile into the air and lands in a cloud of dust and smoke fifty yards way. When Izuru lands, his sword reverts to its original form and suddenly Thor's hammer feels like its original weight again.

**Thor: **'I **AM **the God of Thunder, lieutenant, and my strength surpasses anything you hath yet seen. Mjollnir is a part of me as I am a part of him. He will never give me a burden that I cannot lift.'

Thor once again sheaths his hammer and turns to walk off. However, once more, he is met with resistance. This time, thirty yards away, stands what looks like a white haired child. A young boy no more than what looks like eight, wears similar attire to Izuru, but over his outfit, he wears a white sleeveless coat. Slung over his right shoulder is a green sash that holds a sword with an ice-blue handle wrap.

**?:** 'It appears I've come too late to affect the outcome of this battle. You will pay dearly if you have done any permanent damage to Izuru, ryoka.'

Thor looks at the 4'4" newcomer with curiosity and calmly speaks-

**Thor:** 'Kira Izuru will be fine, boy. The only thing he will wake with is a headache and wounded pride. Tend to him, and I will be on my way.'

The Soul Reaper looks at Thor with a chill in his teal eyes. The white-haired new-comer frowns and ever-so-slightly readies him self.

**?:** 'First, you come to our world unannounced, you assault one of our lieutenants, and then you have the base audacity to insult me? Your actions are unforgivable and now you will have to contend with me. My name is Toshiro Hitsugaya and I am the captain of the 10th court guard squad. I suggest you not take me lightly.'

Thor, who towers over the small captain, once again draws his hammer from his belt. As he grips Mjllonir, the air around the two combatants quietly crackles with electricity!

**Thor:** 'No, small captain, I will not take you lightly. For thou art serious in nature if not in stature. I knowest you hold immense power within that small frame.'

The winds around Hitsugaya's body start to swirl as he draws his zanbakutou and begins to speak-

**Hitsugaya:** 'You're a smart man and I'm tired of talking. I will not hold back against you. Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyourinmaru!'

Captain Hitsugaya says this as if calling out to his best friend and as he does, a flash of energy and chilled winds lash out in all directions! After the transformation, the blade looks slightly longer and attached to the end of the handle by a long chain is a one and a half foot crescent blade that gleams in the sunlight.

**Hitsugaya:** 'Now you will know how it feels to be humiliated in battle.'

Toshiro, holding Hyourinmaru in his right hand and the chained blade in his left, flicks his wrist and sends the crescent-shaped blade flying right at Thor's head! Seeing the attack, Thor doesn't dodge, he simply catches the chain, letting it wrap around his left arm. Almost immediately his hand and forearm is engulfed in ice! The white-haired captain recalls the blade and smiles.

**Hitsugaya:** 'You're experiencing Hyourinmaru's special ability. Using my spirit energy, whatever he touches turns to ice and is frozen to the core. Good luck fighting with one arm, Ryoka.'

The god of thunder looks down at his incapacitated left arm and frowns. He then looks back over to Toshiro while raising his hammer.

**Thor:** 'So it seems you have control over an element, but you have made an error if you think this is to stop me.'

He then strikes his own arm with his hammer and the ice that seemed so thick a minute ago now shatters like fine crystal which falls to the ground and begins to melt. Hitsugaya looks at what just happened and is shocked to see that the only thing effected was Thor's chain mail, which is ripped up to his elbow.

**Thor: **'Surprised? Soul reaper, I am the Asgardian, Thor and I was birthed from Gaia Herself, I have the smoldering heat of the Earth's core flowing thru mine veins! No amount of cold in this world, or any, can freeze me. You hath now shown me your offensive mettle. Toshiro Hitsugaya, you have been found wanting… It is my turn now to test my mettle against you. Feel the fury of the very heavens as they open themselves up to me!'

As Thor speaks, he begins to swing Mjollnir over his head. With each rotation, the winds increase and the skies darken. Lightening starts to crackle overhead as rain and hail begins to fall. Toshiro shields his face from the maelstrom that is being created.

**Hitsugaya:** 'What incredible power!

He thinks to himself, _this is no ordinary ryoka I'm dealing with. I have to report this to Head Captain Yamamoto. This makes no sense to be fighting. What did he say before? He was looking for someone and not wanting to fight. If he was invading, he wouldn't have wanted me to take care of Izuru. Also, Kira was just incapacitated; no one wanting to destroy us would leave a survivor… The last time humans invaded, they were just trying to save Rukia, and by doing so shed light on an even graver situation. __But I can't just let this being go un-checked. _

Hitsugaya quickly slashes at the air and a giant ice dragon forms and heads straight for Thor! The god of thunder holds out his hammer and an enormous lightening bolt shoots out, meeting the dragon head on and destroying it! As the sparks and ice and smoke clear, Thor speaks to the squad ten captain.

**Thor:** 'Toshiro Hitsugaya. Mine quarrel is not with thee. Yon world will perish if I tarry here any longer. You art quite strong and I wish we hath met on peaceable terms. Please. Let me pass.'

Toshiro is shocked by this sudden halt in Thor's attack. As he thinks, a hell butterfly appears and tells him of a captains meeting being held and his presence is required immediately. Toshiro takes a deep breath, closes his eyes and powers down.

**Hitsugaya:** 'It appears that you will get your wish, Thor. Against my better judgment, I have to take my leave. I hope we meet again under better circumstances.'

With that, the captain disappears and Thor is left alone. He too powers down and puts Mjllonir back on his belt. The skies become clear and the sun again shines bright as if nothing has transpired.

**Thor:** 'Aye, Toshiro, I too wish to meet you next time with friendship.'

With his cape flowing in the breeze, Thor again resumes his search for Thanos.


	7. Dangerous Connections

**Psylocke/Shuuhei**

**Dangerous Connections  
**

The four heroes enter the Soul Society's outer region called the Rukon District via the Dangai. Once Psylocke gets her bearings in this new and strange world she immediately tenses. Wolverine stops and asks-

**Wolverine:** 'Ya okay, darlin'?'

**Psylocke: **'I'm fine, Logan, it's just that there are a lot of concentrated thoughts nearby and it will take a second to adjust my psychic shields.'

She closes her eyes and a butterfly-shaped aura covers her forehead. Moments later, she opens her eyes and smiles.

**Psylocke:** 'There that's better. I shouldn't 'ave any more problems for 'ere on out.'

With that, the heroes set off in different directions to find Thanos. Cautiously Psylocke walks off towards a forested area. As she enters the wooded glen, she listens carefully and hears nothing. Thinking she should at least hear the animals and birds, she sends out a telepathic probe to search the wide area. She 'hears' one mind but it's fuzzy to her. Letting her training take over, she immediately goes on guard though she can't see her target yet. Forty yards away secluded high above in an old tree, stands a lone figure with short spikey black hair. The man has three thin scars going down over his right eye, a blue striped tattoo going horizontally under his left eye and across the bridge of his nose. On his left cheek, he has one more tattoo of a small '69' under the blue stripe. He is dressed in a black form-fitting top with black flowing pants. His top is sleeveless, with a white sleeveless top underneath. The man watches her movements and knows that she is not to be taken lightly. He moves slightly and touches the black wrapped hilt of his sword. As she moves closer to him, he vanishes from the tree top and lands thirty paces from her position. Psylocke stops when the man appears and instantly goes into a defensive stance. The man is slightly awe struck when he finally gets a good look at what she looks like. She has long straight purple hair that flows down her back. The woman wears a form fitting purple one-piece suit that is cut high on her hips and has no sleeves. Her arms are wrapped in purple arm sheathes that come to a point over her hands. From her ninja tabi, she has purple thigh-high wraps that go up her longs legs. Around her waist she wears a blood red obi. The man quickly looks away as he speaks to her.

**?:** '…You're in direct violation of soul society law. Come with me or face the consequences.'

Seeing the uneasiness that she has caused the man, Psylocke loosens up and decides to mess with him for a bit. She stands in a way to accentuate her natural curves and the now distracted man shifts uneasily.

**Psylocke:** 'You want me to come with you? I rarely go anywhere with a man if I don't know 'is name.'

**?:** 'M-my name is Shuuhei Hisagi. I am the lieutenant of squad nine of the thirteen court guard squads.'

**Psylocke: **'Ah that's better. My name is Psylocke and I'm 'ere on some business. If you let me pass I promise there'll be a reward in it for you.'

Hisagi shakes his head.

**Shuuhei:** 'I can't let you go any further. I have to bring you in for violating our laws. Even though you are un-armed, I will use force if necessary.'

**Psylocke:** 'Well if you insist on taking me in then you'll 'ave to do it by force.'

As she says this she takes up a ninjustu fighting stance and waits for the taller man to make his move. He hesitates for a second and Psylocke beckons him with a 'come here' motion of her hand. He shakes his head as he takes a step towards her and then vanishes! Psylocke, surprised by his speed, searches for his mind and finds him right before Hisagi delivers a kick to her temple. She uses her telekinesis to block the attack so that the man's kick doesn't break her arm!

**Shuuhei:** 'Impossible! How did you block that? You didn't even see where I was attacking from yet you managed to block me with an unseen barrier. How do you know kidou?'

Hisagi breaks off the attack momentarily to reassess his opponent. Psylocke thinks to herself, _I keep telling everyone I don't speak bloody Japanese!_

**Psylocke:** 'I don't know w'at you mean by kidou but you were the one w'o wanted to attack first and ask questions once I was in a cell somew'ere so I don't think I need to answer your questions. Besides, a woman needs to 'ave 'er secrets, Shuuhei.'

The lieutenant looks at her, eyes blazing, and thinks, _this woman is infuriating! First she thinks that she's on par with a lieutenant, and then she has the audacity to flirt with me in the middle of battle. She's a lot like Rangiku Matsumoto…_

**Psylocke:** 'I don't know w'o this 'Rangiku' person is but if I'm that infuriating then let me pass and I'll be on my way. Unless you 'ave a better way to spend our time?'

Hisagi stares at her wide eyed and blushing.

**Shuuhei:** 'H-how did you know what I was thinking? You are clearly too powerful to walk freely so I have no choice but to take you down hard and fast.'

**Psylocke:** 'Shuu'ei dear, if you keep talking to me like that you're going to make me blush.'

**Shuuhei:** 'Alright that's it!'

He rushes at her again and each blow that he attempts is blocked by an unseen force. Psylocke then uses her telekinesis to strike him hard in the face and stomach at the same time, sending him through a tree! Through the trees Psylocke can hear the frustrated man.

**Shuuhei:** 'Woman. Clearly you don't need my leniency and now it's time for you to feel my blade.'

At this point it's almost too much for Psylocke to handle and she giggles inwardly.

**Psylocke:** 'I don't usually go all the way on my first date, lieutenant. Besides, I usually like to get to know someone over dinner, and not during a useless battle.'

**Shuuhei:** 'That's enough of your innuendos, Psylocke. It appears that you are un-armed but that clearly isn't the case, so now I will fight you as an equal.'

He rushes her again from the tree line and as he begins his attack Psylocke smiles and forms her katana in her right hand. Still using her telepathy to keep a half step ahead of his insanely fast movements, she does all she can to attack her opponent in any opening he gives her. She blocks an especially powerful blow with a telekinetic shield and slices at his midsection with her sword, cutting his kimono and drawing first blood. He skips back a few steps holding his superficial wound, surprised.

**Shuuhei:** 'You had a clean opening, yet you cut shallow. You shouldn't go easy on me because it'll be your downfall. You do well blocking one sword and your unseen abilities are formidable for close range combat, but how would you fare against long range attacks? Let's find out.'

He jumps back another few yards.

**Shuuhei:** 'Reap, Kazeshini!'

As he says this, wind and energy engulfs him and his sword, as Psylocke has to shield her eyes from the spectacle. When the energy dies down Shuuhei is now holding two medium sized staff attached by a long thin chain that flows behind him. At the end of each staff-like weapon are two blades that curve out from each other in opposite directions.

**Psylocke:** 'Impressive.'

**Shuuhei:** 'This is Kazeshini, my zanbakutou's true form. He isn't much to look at but you should fear him nonetheless.' He thinks. adding; _I do._

Psylocke doesn't miss that last part that her opponent thought. _What does he mean by that?_ She refocuses on the here and now.

**Shuuhei:** 'I'm asking you one last time; surrender now.'

**Psylocke:** 'I'll ask you one more time; let me pass.'

**Shuuhei:** 'No. Way of destruction number 31: Shakkaho!'

As he says this, a ball of red energy is released from his hand and heads straight for Psylocke! Seeing the attack in time she puts up a shield and the energy ball explodes in a cloud of smoke. Coming through the smoke, is one of Kazeshini's blades and it slashes Psylocke's right shoulder! She screams in pain and falls back a step. She looks up at Shuuhei who is swinging his twin blades around by their connecting chain frowning at her.

**Shuuhei:** 'I see. Not so confident now, are you? You can't block more than one attack at a time and now that I know your range and abilities, this battle's finished. Way of Binding number four: Crawling Rope.'

Suddenly a glowing rope appears and entangles Psylocke's arms behind her back!

**Psylocke:** 'Not good.'

She reads her attacker's mind and knows that he's coming in for another strike thinking she can't block without her arms. He's wrong and as he attacks she entangles both of the blades in her own telekinetic net and starts to pummel Shuuhei with another weapon from her mind! Still restrained, she picks him up with the power of her thoughts and throws him into the ground twice, causing a giant crater! When she releases him she concentrates and breaks the bonds that are restraining her. As she does, she feels her opponents mind stir and rushes in to press her advantage. She reforms her katana and swings hard toward Shuuhei's head and he blocks it just in time with his blades! She smiles and forms a psychic knife around her left hand and plunges it deep into his mind! His eyes roll into the back of his head and he lets out a small breath.

**Psylocke:** 'Oh dear…'

Psylocke's psychic knife is the physical manifestation of her telepathic powers. She uses it to incapacitate her enemies and inflict mental damage to them. When she uses it on Hisagi, she sees his past and experiences. She sees him as a young boy almost being eaten by a hollow, and being saved by a man named Kensei Muguruma. Shuuhei's '69' tattoo resembles Muguruma's tattoo that he has on his stomach. She then sees him as a teenage prodigy leading a group of younger soul reapers against a hollow ambush. The right side of his face is wounded in the battle. She sees him as a lieutenant being betrayed by his captain, Kaname Tosen. That's the worst memory he has and it still haunts him terribly. The last thing she sees is a demon of a man with pointy ears and long wild hair laughing and holding Shuuhei's Kazeshini. She breaks off the psychic link and steps away from the troubled soul reaper.

**Psylocke:** _It's like what I sensed in Ichigo; only scarier. But he doesn't seem to 'ave the terrible presence like Ichigo does either._ 'No wonder you couldn't trust what I was saying; your life 'as been nothing but 'urt after 'urt, and you've been greatly betrayed. I'm truly sorry Lieutenant Hisagi.'

The soul reaper is still on his hands and knees breathing heavily.

**Shuuhei:** 'Are… you… done reliving my life? I've made peace with what has happened and you have no right violating my memories!

**Psylocke:** 'You're very strong. There's not many people w'o can still talk after receiving my knife. I don't want to continue this quarrel.'

As Shuuhei begins to get to his feet a Hell Butterfly arrives and tells him to stop all confrontation and return to the head captain's meeting room immediately. Shuuhei looks at Psylocke with resignation and closes his eyes.

**Shuuhei:** 'I disagree with my current orders but I have to obey them. Psylocke, I hope that we don't meet again as enemies.

Again, Psylocke hears his thoughts. _She saw my most inner thoughts and she didn't laugh at how weak I am. She is a strange woman and I don't know how to act around her._ With that, the lieutenant vanishes and Psylocke is left alone to wonder what that was all about.

**Psylocke:** 'Oh bother… There'll be no living with him after this. I bet that Dr. Strange 'as gotten to 'ead captain Yamamoto and that's why 'e left the way 'e did.'

With a moment of peace to herself, she opens a telepathic link to her companions to see how they're doing. _'Ey guys,_ _sorry for the intrusion but 'ow are you fairing? Aye m'lady, the god of Thunder cannot be easily bested. Methinks I hath gotten through to one of their captains. He is but a child yet he wields vast power! He was not eager to fight to his full potential methinks. That's good, Thor. 'Ulk, 'ow about you? Hulk? I'm here Psylocke… I'm glad you were able to have tea and cakes with your opponent, Thor. Of course I had to run up against a guy who didn't care what I had to say. He just wanted to make sure I was strong. But I guess I showed him why I'm the strongest one there is, cause just when the battle was getting heavy, he tucked tail and ran. _Psylocke shakes her head and smiles._ Well I'm just glad you aren't injured. Wolverine, 'ow about you? Any luck finding clues to where Thanos might be? _ Silence. Nothing. Wolverine's mind is completely shut off from her. _Logan? Logan? Oh no, please,_ _not you…_ Wait. Something very faint; like the sound of a running brook in the far off distance. _Uugghh… Yeah I'm_ _here Bets… Barely. I got into a scrap with some dame and she hit me with some kinda poison… Worst thing I ever experienced. _Hulk chimes in._ Figures you'd get beat by a woman, shorty. Stuff it, 'Bruce', she'd be a match fer ya too. Alright boys, settle down. Looks like Dr. Strange 'as persuaded the 'ead captain to 'ear us out. Let's meet somewhere so we can travel together. _ The other three agree and start heading towards Psylocke's location.


	8. A Friendly Meeting

**Marvel/Bleach**

**A Friendly Meeting  
**

Meanwhile, as the four other heroes travel the dangerous Prohibiting World, Dr. Strange spiritually transfers himself to Soul Society via incantation. He arrives in the heart of Sei Rei Tei where Kiskuke said that head captain Yamamoto would be. He also said that this would be the most highly guarded part of Soul Society because this is where the thirteen court guard squads are housed. Strange cloaks his spiritual form in a concealment spell for added protection from whatever he might face here in this unknown world. He floats by grand architecture and observes how greatly it resembles his world's ancient Japan. Still floating, he gets passed by four soul reapers talking.

**Soul Reaper:** 'Did you here? Some Ryoka have made it into the Rukon District and head captain Yamamoto has sent out captains to deal with them!'

**Soul Reaper:** 'Oh man, he doesn't take intrusions lightly anymore since… well… the betrayal.'

**Soul Reaper:** 'Let's head back to the barracks and tell the others.'

**Soul Reaper:** 'Yeah, the rest of squad thirteen is gonna love this!'

Dr. Strange continues onward until he passes an opened shoji screen leading into an office of some sorts where sits a man that has his back to the sorcerer. The man has long black hair and has on a white sleeveless coat with kanji written on the middle of where his shoulder blades would be. From what Stephen knows of Japanese it stands for the number '6', and as he passes, the man stops and looks up from his paperwork for a few seconds and then goes back to what he was doing. Strange doesn't wait to know if the man is aware of his presence and continues on. Finally he comes to a building with large, intricately carved doors. Above the threshold is the kanji for '1' and Dr. Strange knows that this must be the head captain's quarters. He phases through the door and sees a very old man with a long white beard sitting at a desk at the far end of the room. On his left is a stoic clean cut man with pressed robes. Instantly the old man is aware of Strange's presence as he looks in his direction and clears his throat. Dr. Strange cancels the concealment spell and stands there with his hands open in a gesture of peace. The old man speaks.

**?:** 'You must be one of the Ryoka that has appeared uninvited.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I am Dr. Strange and I have come here with a few of my allies to stop the destruction of your world. Are you Captain Yamamoto?'

Just then the man that was on Yamamoto's left draws his sword and rushes at Strange!

**?:** 'How dare you intrude into Head Captain Yamamoto's personal chambers?'

The Sorcerer Supreme forms an intricate gesture with his hands and says-

**Dr. Strange:** 'Come forth Crimson Bands of Cyttorak; bind my adversary!'

Ruby red glowing bands shoot forth from the pendant that is around Strange's neck and entangles the over zealous soul reaper as he falls to the floor still struggling against his unbreakable bonds.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Do not struggle and you will be fine. Captain Yamamoto I am sorry I had to do that, but time is of the essence and we need you to listen to our plight. We have come here to stop a threat to your world that has come from ours. His name is Thanos and he is extremely dangerous, and we need to stop him before he causes anymore chaos and destruction.'

**Yamamoto:** 'Enough. We are aware of the situation and we are dealing with it as you speak. He will not get far with the thirteen protection squads tracking his whereabouts.'

Just then another man materializes in the room and instantly kneels. He is dressed in purple and gold with red accents. His face is fully covered and he completely ignores the intruder.

**Black Ops Soldier:** 'Forgive the intrusion, Head Captain, but the detainment party that was sent out to subdue the mysterious Ryoka has been completely annihilated! He single-handedly beat fifty of our best kidou users and seemed to absorb them into his wrist-mounted gauntlet.'

**Yamamoto:** 'Very well. Send out a message to Captain Soi Fon, Hitsugaya, Zaraki and lieutenant Hisagi. Tell them to break off their attack and report back to me immediately. Also, summon the other captains to me as well; we have much to discuss.'

**Black Ops Soldier:** 'As you command!'

With that the man vanishes and Dr. Strange smiles. He disperses the restraints around the other man and looks back at the captain.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I appreciate your help in this matter and I'm sorry that we didn't come with more of a warning.'

**Yamamoto:** 'Mmmm.'

He looks over at the now silent man.

**Yamamoto:** 'Choujirou, brief the captains as they arrive.'

**Choujirou:** 'Yes commander!'

Choujirou takes another look at the sorcerer before he leaves the room. As the two men await the other captains' arrival, Dr. Strange fills Yamamoto in on the details on how he and the others came to this world as well as who Thanos is and what he could be capable of if left unchecked. In a few minutes the captains start to arrive. The first person to arrive is the man that Strange had seen on his way in. The man walks in regally and with barely a sound, almost as if he glides into the room. He barely looks in the sorcerer's direction but when he does, he has a moment of recognition, and then quickly turns to Captain Yamamoto.

**?:** 'You wanted to see me head-captain Yamamoto?'

**Yamamoto:** 'It would appear we have much to discuss, Byakuya Kuchiki. I'll explain when the others arrive.'

**Byakuya:** 'Yes sir.'

The second captain to arrive is a woman with a gentle face and long black hair that is braided thick and hangs down the front of her to her waist. She has the kanji for '4' on the back of her long white coat. Two more enter the room talking amongst themselves. Both are tall with long hair, with one having straight white hair and the other having brown wavy hair. Though they are friends, their differences in appearance are striking. The white-haired captain is more refined with a look that resembles the other captains. He has the kanji for '13' on his white coat. The other man however, is much more laid back, with what looks like a woman's kimono draped over his shoulders and a straw hat that covers his eyes and nose. He is scruffy and has a faint smell of sake.

**?:** 'Mm? What's up Yama-Jii? Is this the intruder everyone's been lookin' for?'

**Yamamoto:** 'Please be patient, Shunsui, all will be made clear soon.'

**Shunsui:** 'This must be pretty big if ol' man Yamamoto has one of the Ryoka in his chambers. What do you think, Jushiro?'

The man with the white hair and kind face nods at his friend.

**Jushiro:** 'I think we should hear what Genryu-dono has to say, Shun-kun.'

With that the two men take their places along either side of the head captain's desk. A few moments later the strangest captain yet comes in. He seems to stroll into the building with his right hand holding the hilt of his sword which is tucked into his obi centered to his crotch. His face is masked with black and white make-up and he has gold protrusions where his ears and chin would be. He wears a long hat that comes to a point on the side of his head. He feigns interest in the people gathered in the room until his lidless eyes find Dr. Strange.

**?:** 'Ah, Genryusai, when we finish up here would you mind if I took that one back to my lab for study?'

**Yamamoto:** 'Captain Kurotsuchi! This human is our guest and once everyone arrives he will tell us why he is here.'

**Mayuri:** 'This does not pique my interests in the least bit…'

The room is quickly filling up but it doesn't seem like everyone is here. Just then Dr. Strange hears louder than normal foot steps coming down the hall, and a few seconds later, a very large captain walks into the room. Easily two feet taller than Hulk; this man, no fox, takes his place amongst the other captains. He wears the long white coat like the others, with his sleeves cut off like Byakuya's. He has gold shoulder guards and gold arm bands wrapped around his huge wrists. He has the kanji for '7' written on his coat.

**Yamamoto:** 'Now that Captain Komamura has joined us it seems that we can get started. Everyone; this is Dr. Strange and as you can see, he is not from our world. He and four others; the same ones that I sent Hitsugaya, Soi Fon, Zaraki and lieutenant Hisagi to apprehend, are on a mission to stop the true intruder into Soul Society.'

The head captain stops and looks over at the sorcerer and beckons him to continue.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Yes. This being that we have come into your universe to stop has come here searching for immense power and he will try and attain it through the destruction of your soul society. We have already run into what you call hollow before we left Mr. Urahara's shop. According to Ichigo, they weren't normal for hollow. Judging by their appearance, I would have to agree with his assessment.'

**Mayuri:** 'What do you mean by not "normal" hollow?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'These hollow wore parts of soul reaper kimonos and had masks that resembled Thanos' face and had protrusions that mimicked his armor.'

The captain of the twelfth division strokes his chin and smiles wide.

**Mayuri:** 'Excellent. I must obtain samples of this phenomenon for study.'

**Shunsui:** 'Sometimes, Kurotsuchi, you scare me.'

As the banter subsides, in walk four other soul reapers. Three captains; a short boy with white hair with the kanji for '10' on his white sleeveless coat, a tall man with long spikey hair and bells at the tips and the kanji for '11' on his ripped coat, a petite woman with short hair and long braids who's left arm is caked with blood and who's outfit is tattered and ripped in many places. The fourth soul reaper is also slightly bruised and is looking down, not wanting to meet eyes with anybody.

**Yamamoto:** 'Captains Hitsugaya, Zaraki, Soi Fon and Lieutenant Hisagi, welcome. You've been ordered to break off your attack on the newcomers because of new information we have gathered from this man, Dr. Strange. Report what has happened in each of your encounters.'

The boy captain speaks first.

**Toshiro:** 'The man I fought with was very strong and controlled the very heavens themselves. He kept claiming to be a god and with his powers, I would be inclined to agree. He easily bested third squad lieutenant Kira Izuru before I could get there and even Hyourinmaru had difficulties with him.'

The taller man with spikey hair and an eye patch chuckles.

**Kenpachi:** 'Its cuz yer still a kid. I met up with a big green guy with huge muscles. He was tryin' ta talk ta me about somethin' but I wasn't really listenin' all that good. I just wanted to know if he was strong. He's got power that's fer sure and when the battle was just about to get good, you called me back here.'

**Soi Fon:** 'Zaraki, you're always so noisy. I felt your spiritual pressure from where I was fighting and it's obnoxious. My battle was with a small wild man that was no real threat.'

**Kenpachi:** 'From the looks of yer body, I'd say he threatened ya real good.'

Soi Fon stares coldly at the taller captain.

**Soi Fon:** 'All he was good for was to make jokes and innuendos. He's dead; he fell to Suzumebachi.'

At this, Dr. Strange looks up.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Excuse me, but are you sure that your opponent is dead?'

**Soi Fon:** 'Of course. Death in two steps is Suzumebachi's special ability. No one can stand up to it.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I see.'

Captain Yamamoto closes his eyes.

**Yamamoto:** 'Mmm. What about your encounter lieutenant Hisagi?'

The man looks down and away then takes a deep breath and begins.

**Shuuhei:** 'I came across a woman dressed in an assassin's uniform. She mocked and insulted me the entire fight. She is formidable in her fighting style and her abilities. She denies using kidou but her attacks were invisible to me and even Kazeshini had trouble hitting her.'

The Sorcerer Supreme again interrupts.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Lieutenant; I can assure you that Psylocke does not use this "kidou" you refer to. You see, she has telepathic and telekinetic powers. Basically she can do whatever she wants with but a thought.'

**Mayuri:** 'Tell me you didn't kill her Hisagi. Soi Fon may not have respect for my inquisitive nature but I would hope to have at least a little researchable data on these new beings.'

Just then the doors open wide and in walk three newcomers. Hulk, Thor; who's arm chainmail is ripped and broke up to his forearm, and Psylocke who has a clotted wound on her shoulder from Hisagi's attack. Kenpachi looks at the three and spots his sparring partner.

**Kenpachi:** 'Ha-ha. Good, ya made it.'

**Hulk:** 'Huh. I see you're in good spirits after that butt whuppin' I gave you.'

**Kenpachi:** 'I'm ready fer round two, big green.'

Psylocke catches Shuuhei looking at her and he quickly looks away. She tilts her head down and smiles while playfully moving a few strands of hair away from her face. Thor spots the small captain from his encounter.

**Thor:** 'Captain Hitsugaya! How hath thou faired since last we met?'

**Toshiro:** '…Good. I think.'

As the heroes take up rank near Dr. Strange, Thor walks by the stoic Captain Kuchiki. Byakuya slowly opens his eyes and scoffs at the god of thunder. Thor ignores his actions but stares at his instant rival. Just then another figure walks casually into the room smirking. Soi Fon stares at the man incredulously. Standing in the entrance of the gathering place is Logan; his costume is ripped to shreds but is otherwise unharmed. Not a scratch or wound on his hairy, muscled body, he looks over at Soi Fon and winks.

**Wolverine:** 'Hey darlin'. Miss me?'

**Soi Fon:** 'Impossible! I watched you die; how did you survive?'

**Wolverine:** 'The short of it is that ya hit me with so many of those "hornet's crests" that my healin' factor built up immunity to yer poison before ya hit me with that second shot.'

**Mayuri:** 'I can't stand it; in my midst is a woman who can cause damage with her mind and a man who can survive Suzumebachi! Genryusai, I have to have them for my lab!'

Wolverine walks up to the strange captain and smiles while popping his claws.

**Wolverine:** 'Careful bub, I don't take too kindly to bein' a lab rat. I've been poked and prodded for more than three lifetimes and I'd reckon that Psylocke wont take too kindly ta bein' yer guinea pig either, so I'd steer clear of her if I were ya.'

Captain Kurotsuchi reaches out and touches one of the man's claws and tilts his head to the side, smiling wide.

**Mayuri:** 'Amazing! Metal claws that shoot forth from your very hands? I can hardly contain my curiosity!'

Captain Yamamoto taps his wooden walking stick on the ground and instantly all banter is silenced.

**Yamamoto:** 'For the time being we have lost all ability to track this Thanos and so we can not do anything until he makes another move. For now I suggest we rest so we can better coordinate in the coming days.'

With that, the heroes and soul reapers get to know one another and the quiet captain of the fourth squad approaches Psylocke.

**?:** 'Excuse me, my name is Retsu Unohana and I am the captain of the fourth division. It is an infirmary ward built for healing the wounded in battle; may I see your wound?'

Psylocke looks over at the gentle-faced woman and smiles.

**Psylocke:** 'Oh this? It's nothing but a scratch.'

**Unohana:** 'But with any wound no matter how big or small, if it gets infected we would have to send you over to Captain Kurotsuchi to have it amputated.'

Psylocke looks shocked at the soul reaper as Retsu waves her off playfully.

**Unohana:** 'I am kidding of course but still, let me see your wound please.'

She takes a closer look at the damaged area and soon a greenish glow engulfs her hands. As Elizabeth looks on, the wound begins to close and the dried blood is removed!

**Psylocke:** 'Thank you very much!'

The woman just smiles. Across the room Shunsui casually walks over to Wolverine.

**Shunsui:** 'Hi there. My names Shunsui Kyoraku and I'm the captain of the eighth squad. Me and my buddy, Jushiro were wondering if you wanted to join us for some sake.'

Logan looks up at the 6'3" laid back captain and raises an eyebrow.

**Wolverine:** 'Eh I don't know, I tasted some of this world's sake and it wasn't all that good.'

Shunsui smiles and pulls his straw hat down over his eyes and whispers.

**Shunsui:** 'Ah I see. You were in the Rukon district but I assure you, I have quality stuff. What do you say? Plus, we gotta get you into some new clothes; you'll make some of our ladies blush.'

**Wolverine:** 'Ha! Alright, bub, lead the way.'

With that, the two captains and Logan exit the building and head for the eighth squads headquarters. Kenpachi walks over to where Hulk is and slaps him hard on the back. Hulk doesn't budge but looks down at the wild-eyed captain.

**Hulk:** 'Oh it's you.'

**Kenpachi:** 'You're stayin' with the eleventh squad tonight. My guys are gonna like you. What'dya say?'

**Hulk:** 'The way you say it, Kenpachi, I don't think it's a question. But yeah I'll stay at your place tonight. This should be fun.'

Yachiru, who has apparently been with her captain this entire time, pops up and exclaims.

**Yachiru:** 'Yay green-green is gonna stay with Kenny!'

As the heroes start to disperse, Psylocke looks over to where Shuuhei is. She walks over to him cautiously not taking her eyes off of the soul reaper.

**Psylocke:** 'Shuu'ei? I'm sorry if I 'urt you. Do you want to talk?'

Hisagi looks at the woman slightly warmer than when they were enemies.

**Shuuhei:** 'I've been in worse battles. I think I need to be alone for a little while.'

Psylocke looks at the lieutenant and thinks, _if you'd like we don't 'ave to say a word._

**Shuuhei:** 'You can project your thoughts as well as read others? You really are talented, but that's going to take some getting used to.'

**Psylocke:** 'I 'ave other talents you know.'

She flirtatiously moves towards the soul reaper who blushes momentarily and shifts his weight.

**Shuuhei:** 'Anyway, you're clothes are ripped; I think Captain Unohana may have a kimono that will fit you until your outfit is repaired. I'll talk to you later.'

With that he walks out of the room and leaves Psylocke wondering if he'll eventually let her in. She catches up with Captain Unohana as she's walking out of the head captain's chambers.

**Psylocke:** 'Excuse me, Captain Uno'ana, I was told that you may 'ave a kimono for me while my uniform is repaired?'

Retsu looks over the mutant's dirty and ripped uniform and smiles.

**Unohana:** 'Of course Psylocke, follow me please.'

As the two begin to walk they hear light footsteps behind them.

**Unohana:** 'Oh Captain Hitsugaya, would you care to walk with us?'

The boy captain walks up beside the two women and folds his arms into his sleeves.

**Toshiro:** 'Thank you Retsu.'

The surrounding quiet is suddenly shattered by Thor's booming voice.

**Thor:** 'Captain Hitsugaya! Wouldst thou care to have a word? I wouldst like to learn more of you and your abilities.'

**Toshiro:** 'I'm heading to the tenth squad barracks. You're welcome to come along if you wish.'

**Thor:** 'Excellent!'

With that, the four people head off toward the barracks. As they pass the third squad headquarters, a high carefree voice rings out.

**?:** 'Captain, Captain! There you are; I've been looking all over for you. Where have you been? Oh, are these the humans everybody's talking about?'

The captain of squad ten looks over at the tall, blonde soul reaper and sighs.

**Toshiro:** 'Matsumoto. I told you I was attending a captain's meeting. These are two of the five humans that are here from another world; Psylocke and Thor. This, embarrassingly, is my lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto.'

The blue-eyed woman playfully frowns at her captain then smiles at Psylocke and looks up at the god of thunder.

**Rangiku:** 'Oh my, Thor, was it? If all the men in your world look like you, then I'm going to have to leave soul society! I'm Rangiku Matsumoto; it's a pleasure to meet you.'

Odin's Son looks down at the well endowed lieutenant and smiles as well. He takes her hand in a chivalrous gesture and kisses it. Rangiku giggles and flirts shamelessly with the muscled man. Toshiro just roles his eyes in annoyance and interrupts his sex-crazed subordinate.

**Toshiro:** 'I think you've had enough time to introduce yourself, Matsumoto. We are heading to the fourth squad's barracks so Psylocke can change while her costume is repaired.'

Rangiku blinks as if really noticing the purple-haired woman for the first time.

**Rangiku:** 'Thank you Captain Unohana, but would it be alright if she comes with me? I'm sure your squads real busy with all that's going on and besides I've got kimonos that she can wear.'

Hitsugaya thinks to himself, _I don't think anyone can fit into your clothes Rangiku. Even Ichigo's friend, Orihime would have trouble. _Betsy smiles to herself and continues to observe these new beings and their behaviors.

**Psylocke:** 'Retsu, thank you for 'ealing my wound and taking the time to get me new clothes, but if Thor's going to the tenth squad's barracks anyway, then I'll just go along as well.'

**Unohana:** 'Very well. It was a pleasure meeting you and if I can do anything else, let me know.'

With that the five walk together until they get to the fourth squad's headquarters and Captain Unohana bows slightly and departs the other's company. The group of four continues on as they reach Captain Hitsugaya's squad barracks. Rangiku pauses and the others stop as well.

**Rangiku:** 'Captain, I'm going to take Psylocke with me and get her into some cleaner clothes.'

She flirtatiously adds while looking over Thor.

**Rangiku:** 'Of course I can take Thor with me too and get him changed as well.'

**Toshiro:** 'Taking this man with you won't be necessary Matsumoto.'

The woman pouts then playfully flips her hair out away from her face. The two women head down a corridor and disappear from view. Toshiro hangs his head and sighs.

**Thor:** 'That woman hath spirit.'

**Toshiro:** 'That's one way of putting it. She acts like that all the time.'

They walk a little ways further and Hitsugaya stops at a building with no identifiable markings.

**Toshiro:** 'This is where you'll be staying. There should be a few spare kimonos in the room if you would like to change. We'll have your chainmail fixed in a few days.'

The blonde god looks down at his companion.

**Thor:** 'Would thou care to speak for a time? The sun hath yet to set and I hath many questions.'

**Toshiro:** 'Maybe tomorrow. I have a lot of reports to fill out from today's activity.'

**Thor:** 'Very well Captain Hitsugaya, Odin's Son thanks thee for yon hospitality.'

The captain and Thor part ways and the thunder god heads inside his chambers. It's seems small to him but everything takes on a smaller perspective when you are a god.

Matsumoto leads Psylocke into her quarters and positions her in the middle of the room while she rummages through a nearby closet.

**Rangiku:** 'So I don't know much about it but I hear you may have a thing for Lieutenant Hisagi.'

Psylocke, a little surprised by the sudden topic of conversation, recovers quickly.

**Psylocke:** 'Word travels fast around 'ere it would seem. 'E is cute though. 'E appears to 'ave a natural prejudice for me and I wouldn't mind changing that.'

**Rangiku:** 'I wouldn't take it personally; he just has an aversion to anything outside of soul society that's all.'

**Psylocke:** 'Well I think I'm getting through to 'im little by little.'

The lieutenant comes back with a few kimonos draped over her arms.

**Rangiku:** 'Here you go; try some of these and see what you think. They're from when I was younger so they may fit you.

**Psylocke:** 'Yeah I don't think I'd be able to fit into the size you're wearing now.'

Rangiku looks down at her ample chest and smiles.

**Psylocke:** 'While we're on the topic of cleavage and fashion, 'ow do you keep your girls from falling out in battle or just plain walking for that matter?'

The blue-eyed woman giggles.

**Rangiku:** 'My girls? A woman has to have her secrets, but just between you and me, I use a tiny bit of my spiritual pressure to keep "my girls" from saying hi.'

**Psylocke:** 'Very impressive; I'll 'ave to keep that in mind.'

With Rangiku still in the room and no shame of her own Psylocke takes off her costume and changes into one of the kimonos. Surprisingly the first one fits rather good and Betsy lets Matsumoto inspect.

**Rangiku:** 'Oh good it fits! You're not too bad in the breast department yourself, Psylocke.'

**Psylocke:** 'Please call me Betsy or at the very least Elizabeth. Psylocke is my codename for battle or missions.'

**Rangiku:** 'Oh, so do all your friends have "codenames" like you?'

**Psylocke:** 'For the most part, yes. In our world most of the 'eroes 'ave secret identities that they use for their families' protection; Dr. Strange is known to us as Stephen, Wolverine lets 'is friends call 'im Logan, and Thor and Hulk are, well Thor and Hulk. They don't 'ave codenames because one is a god and the other quite frankly, doesn't care.'

Matsumoto's eyes light up when Betsy mentions Thor's name.

**Rangiku:** 'So Thor's a god huh? That man is a hunk!'

The two women talk for a little while longer and then the lieutenant shows Elizabeth where she can sleep. As Rangiku leaves, Psylocke hears her parting thoughts. _It's time to see what my god of thunder is up to. Betsy was fun but I bet Thor will be even better! _Psylocke smiles and looks down at the cloth that covers her legs. She focuses her telekinetic katana and uses it to slice most of the fabric away, revealing her smooth legs up to her hips!

**Psylocke:** 'That's better.'

After Hulk gets settled into the eleventh squad's meeting room, Kenpachi ditches him to do something. He really didn't care what it was and stopped listening. Hulk takes a look around the room and there are tables and chairs positioned about the room. There are a few soul reapers in the room, and as he surveys them he finds them looking back at him as well. Of the men and woman gathered, four men approach the jade giant and start talking.

**Soul Reaper:** 'Ya must be Captain Zaraki's new best friend. We heard what ya did to some of our squad earlier today; ya must be pretty strong ta be invited here.'

Hulk folds his arms and looks down at the man.

**Hulk:** 'You could say that.'

**Soul Reaper:** 'How 'bout ya prove yer strength by arm wrestlin' us? We gots tables right over there.'

**Hulk:** 'Alright, but I don't think those tables are going to hold up to the trouncing I'm going to give you.'

With that the room erupts in jeers and all kinds of obscenities as Hulk makes his way over to one of the tables and sits down. The chair under him creaks loudly but surprisingly holds his 1,500 pound frame. Hulk looks down at the chair legs and shrugs and then focuses his attention onto the first challenger. The man walks up to the sitting Hulk, casting a shadow on his green skin. He's 6'6" and broad shouldered with scars on his face and arms. He sits down with a grunt and locks Hulk's massive hand into his own. Someone says go and the man puts his entire mite into moving Hulk's hand down to the table. Hulk's face shows little interest as he destroys the table when he puts the man's arm through it! Gasps and more jeers echo throughout the room as these people can't believe what they just saw. After Hulk moves to another table five more men come up to challenge him. All five men taste defeat and five more tables lay in splinters around the room. Hulk mock yawns and says-

**Hulk:** 'Come on guys, I accepted your challenge because I thought there was gonna be one.'

Just then two more soul reapers enter the room and the others gathered turn to them with hushed respect. The taller of the two men walks in smiling with confidence. He's bald with red tattoos near his eyes. Hulk looks at the men and rolls his eyes.

**Hulk:** 'Alright, who're you clowns? I hope you're stronger than these bozos if you want to challenge me.'

**?:** 'What was that? You wanna know if I'm stronger? Ya damn right I'm stronger than these guys. Before we begin I have a rule about proper battle etiquette; it's always best to know the name of the person who is going to defeat you. My name is Ikkaku Madarame and I'm the third seat of the eleventh squad. This here's Yumichika Ayasegawa and he's our fifth seat.'

The other man, who looks rather feminine with smooth skin and chin length black hair, dramatically averts his feathered eyes away from the Hulk.

**Yumichika:** 'Ugh, he's so ugly Ikkaku; do I have to be here to see this?'

**Hulk:** 'Who're you calling ugly, ya flamin' peacock. Ikkaku was it? My name's Hulk and you'll remember it well after this.'

Madarame sits down roughly across from Hulk and smiles even wider as he grabs the much larger man's hand. Yumichika, still not wanting to look at Hulk, nonchalantly says go and the match starts. Neither man's arm moves, as a bead of sweat forms on the bald man's head. Ikkaku smiles wider, flashing teeth as he puts more pressure into bringing Hulk's arm down for the victory. The behemoth's arm still won't budge and the third seat starts to growl. Red energy begins to swirl around Ikkaku as he continues applying more and more force to move his opponent! The gathered soul reapers gasp in awe of the power that Ikkaku is exhibiting while Yumichika stands back seemingly board out of his mind. Just then Hulk's arm begins to budge slightly! The soul reaper grins but doesn't let up the pressure and little by little the jade giant's arm moves closer to the table's surface. Just as Hulk's massive wrist is about to touch table he flashes a rare grin and in one effortless movement, slams Ikkaku's wrist into the table's surface, shattering the object into a million splinters! After the dust settles, Hulk stands over the kneeling soul reaper with his hand outstretched. Ikkaku looks up at the massive creature and wipes his forehead. He smiles and gets up by himself ignoring the helping hand.

**Ikkaku:** 'A man make's his own path, Hulk. You're definitely strong and I can see why Zaraki likes you.'

**Hulk:** 'Hmph. Well the man has issues if you ask me.'

As the two men continue their banter, Captain Zaraki comes into the room, surveying the destruction.

**Kenpachi:** 'Looks like I missed the party. I hope ya had fun gettin' ta know my squad, but by the looks of the place, ya embarrassed even more of them Hulk.'

**Hulk:** 'They wanted to see how strong I was, so I showed them.'

Zaraki lets out a disturbing laugh and motions for Hulk to follow him. They walk out of the building and down a corridor, and after passing a few other buildings they stop in front of one.

**Kenpachi:** 'This'll be where yer gonna sleep cuz it's a little bigger than the other barracks we got. Ya should sleep pretty good after the battle we had.'

**Hulk:** 'Are you kidding me? I could've gone on for days at the level we fought at.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Ha. I might have ta take ya up on that claim when we're not so busy.'

He smirks at his rival and walks off. Yachiru hangs off of his back and waves enthusiastically back at her green friend. Hulk tilts his head in amusement and half waves at the pink-haired child. He walks into his temporary living space and looks around at the bare walls and rolled-up futon in one corner.

**Hulk:** 'Well it's better than some of the places I've slept in.'

Wolverine walks with Shunsui and Jushiro to the eighth squads headquarters. He sniffs the air and hears the sounds all around him. Though this part looks similar to all the rest, it has different smells and sounds. It's fresher here, with the scent of cherry blossoms. It's not like the first squads' area where there were hardly any smells or the second squad where the scents were mostly smoke and sword oil. The third squads' barracks smelled stale and almost lifeless, whereas the fourth squad smelt like a hospital with interlaced scents of tea. As Logan passed the fifth squads' barracks, it wasn't the odors or sounds that chilled him. It was the utter lack of spirit; almost as if the squad has died. All soul reapers he passed never looked up or even acknowledged their presence. It was truly disturbing. He looked at the two captains accompanying him but they seemed either used to it or oblivious, so he kept his questions to himself, no sense in rocking the boat. The headquarters most similar in smell to the eighth's squad was the sixth squad. Many cherry and orange blossom scents filled the air and incense too. As they passed the seventh squad, he noticed it smelled strong of animal. He sniffed again and remembered Captain Komamura's scent and realized that it's his pheromones that permeated the area. Shunsui leads the other captain and Logan to a building decorated with red paper lanterns and as Wolverine listens, he can hear light music coming from inside. Kyoraku stands on one side of the entrance and beckons for the other two to enter before him.

**Shunsui:** 'This is where the good stuff is, but first Logan, I need to get you presentable. Follow me in to the other room and there should be a few spare kimonos that you can have. In fact, keep them all; I have a feeling you tend to go through your clothes rather quickly.'

**Wolverine:** 'I don't know what gave you that idea, Shunsui-san, but thanks.'

Logan opens the closet doors in the other room and finds a few kimonos hanging up. He takes off what is left of his tattered uniform and wraps himself expertly in a kimono.

**Wolverine:** 'This brings back some memories.'

Jushiro walks in to offer his assistance and is surprised by how adept the short westerner seems to be at wrapping a kimono.

**Jushiro:** 'My, Logan-san, you wrapped your own kimono perfectly. Where did you learn to do that?'

**Wolverine:** 'I spent a lotta years in my world's Japan, Ukitake-san, so I picked up a few things.'

**Jushiro:** 'I see. Come join us when you're ready; we'd like to get to know more about you and your world.'

**Wolverine:** 'Sure thing.'

He follows the white-haired man out of the room and sits down on a floor pillow near a small table. Already on the table are two gallon-sized jugs in which Logan knows contain sake. Next to the jugs are three small saucer-like cups for drinking. Shunsui smiles and picks up a jug masterfully and pours each man a drink.

**Shunsui:** 'Alright Logan, this is the good stuff I told you about. Prepare to taste heaven.'

Logan brings the cup to his lips and instantly knows it's going to be good. He downs the small amount of liquid bliss and smiles at the two men.

**Wolverine:** 'I gotta tell ya Shunsui, this is the best sake I've ever tasted. I'm glad I came with ya guys.'

He reaches for the jug to pour another cup and Shunsui and Jushiro look at each other.

**Jushiro:** 'Shunsui-kun's sake isn't just the best because of the taste, Logan-san. It's also known for its potency, so I'd slow down and savor the taste.'

Wolverine looks at the two men as they finish their first drinks and grins.

**Wolverine:** 'Relax guys, I can handle this stuff no problem.'

Shunsui tilts his head down, covering most of his face with his hat.

**Shunsui:** 'Care to make a wager on that Logan-san? I may be laidback, but I take my drinking very seriously. Say, last one to pass out wins?'

**Wolverine:** 'Sounds good ta me; what do I get when I win?'

**Jushiro:** 'I would say you are pretty confident in your abilities, Logan, but you would do well not to underestimate Shunsui.'

**Shunsui:** 'Ha-ha. OK, the winner gets respect from the others and the first one to quit has to get the next tab.'

**Wolverine:** 'I can drink ta that.'

**Jushiro:** 'All I have to do is not fall asleep first.'

After they all have had their first round the three men drink one glass after another. With one jug down, Logan doesn't seem to be feeling any different. The two captain's speech has slightly started to slur however, and they have started to get louder, Ukitake especially. Logan, not wanting to disrespect his hosts too badly, starts to act tipsy as well. Another hour pasts and they are now on their third jug, when Wolverine hears the faintest sound of jars clinking and the scent of a woman.

**Wolverine:** 'Hey, didja guys hear that just now? It sounded like there was a woman in the back.'

Jushiro just smiles drunkenly at the man while slightly rocking back and forth with his eyes closed. Kyoraku, fairing slightly better, looks up and smiles, faced flush.

**Shunsui:** 'Ish ok Rogan, ish prolly jush my lieutenansh, Nanao Ishe.'

The drunken eighth captain mumbles incoherently under his breath, trying to correct himself on his lieutenant's name, which he finally does and Logan hears it as "Nanao Ise". He shrugs and goes back to drinking his sake. He notices that the captain of the thirteenth squad has stopped drinking and is now just sitting there.

**Wolverine:** 'What's wrong Ukitake-san, ya had enough?'

**Shunsui:** 'I'm shure he'sh alrighsh, he'sh jush takin' a breaksh.'

**Wolverine:** 'OK bub, whatever you say.'

Just then Jushiro stops swaying and falls backward, still smiling but sound asleep! Shunsui looks over at his passed out friend, shrugs and smiles at Logan. He pulls his hat over his eyes and slumps against the wall sound asleep.

**Wolverine:** 'Ah hell. Well, looks like I won. Too bad there's no one around to see it.'

He leaves the two soul reapers to sleep off their drunkenness and walks out of the room. Not wanting to go to sleep just yet, Logan walks the corridors and streets of Sei Rei Tei, taking in the scents and sounds of his new surroundings. Soon he stops and looks down at his arms and observes the looseness of the fabric of his sleeves. He takes a few quick jabs at the air and notices a slight decline in the speed of his punches due to the kimono.

**Wolverine:** 'Now I remember why I don't like wearin' these things.'

He unsheathes his claws with an audible 'SNIKT' and slices clean thru the fabric near his shoulders, bearing his full arms. He smiles, proud of his new look, and continues on his path.

Elsewhere, in the tenth squad's barracks, Thor tries to adjust his kimono as best as he can. Satisfied, he sits down to contemplate what has transpired thus far. Before he can get far into his reverie, however, he hears a slight knock on his door and a woman's voice.

**Rangiku:** 'Thor, are you in here?'

**Thor:** 'Aye, m'lady.'

The tenth squad's lieutenant opens the door and walks into the room carrying something behind her back. The god of thunder smiles at this pleasant surprise and beckons her to sit down.

**Thor:** 'What doth I owest this meeting to?'

**Rangiku:** 'Well my captain can be a little rough sometimes and I thought you might prefer a more hospitable greeting.'

She smiles at the blonde god as she reveals what was behind her back.

**Thor:** 'Ah, tis that this land's sake?'

**Rangiku:** 'Oh so you've had this before? I "borrowed" it from the eighth squad's secret stash. Captain Kyoraku will never know though, he was really drinking with Captain Ukitake and your short hairy friend.'

**Thor:** 'Wolverine? That man hath an insatiable thirst for the alcohol.'

**Rangiku:** 'The way you speak; it's different from the way your friends talk.'

**Thor:** 'Tis true. I speakest the language of olde; it's the closest to mine Midgard's English. If I were to speakest in my native Asgardian, no one wouldest understand.'

The blonde soul reaper just looks at the Adonis while drinking her alcohol. Though Thor hasn't noticed, there isn't the slightest bit of understanding on her face. She has absolutely no idea what he's talking about!

**Rangiku:** 'Amazing, Thor; we have a royal family here in Soul Society, though no one ever sees them.'

As the two continue to talk and get to know more about the other's world, there comes another knock and this time a man's voice.

**Izuru:** 'Rangiku-san is that you? I was looking for you in the sitting room but-'

Kira Izuru, lieutenant of the third squad and recent recipient of Thor's hammer. He was looking for Rangiku, with whom he shares the occasional drink with, but finds her with none other than the man that defeated him in battle. Rangiku, beginning to feel a slight buzz, beckons her friend to join them.

**Rangiku:** 'Kira-kun! Come in, we were just getting to know more about each other. Have you met Thor yet?'

**Izuru:** '…We met on the battle field earlier today. I should go; I'll see you tomorrow Matsumoto-san.'

**Rangiku:** 'Why so formal all of a sudden? I'm sorry I didn't invite you earlier, I couldn't find you.'

**Izuru:** 'I was in the fourth squad's facility thanks to that man there.'

**Thor:** 'Lieutenant Izuru, the battle hath ended. I am no longer thine enemy, please drink with us.'

The man finally sits down, though closer to Rangiku than to Thor.

**Izuru:** 'If you insist. I find it quite odd to be drinking with a human, but I must admit you are very strong.'

**Thor:** 'The same to you, young warrior. You have great skill and yon sword, Wabisuke, was it? A most impressive weapon, the likes I have yet to see.'

**Izuru:** 'Thank you. I've never seen someone take that many hits from him and still lift their weapon and deliver that much… force before.'

**Rangiku:** 'Wait, you guys fought earlier? Why doesn't anyone tell me anything! I'm always the last to know, I swear, my captain keeps things from me all the time… '

She keeps ranting but the two men tune her out, hoping she will burn herself out before she notices they've stopped listening.

**Thor:** 'I believe, Kira Izuru, that if thou hath had more time to prepare for our battle, you would hath faired much better. Take heart in that fact, soul reaper.'

Rangiku finally calms down and the three continue conversation together long into the night. Kira, though ashamed that he lost to this man, comes to enjoy his company and starts to relax with the help of his drink. Thor is glad that he accepted Dr. Strange's request for help and even though he knows that this peace won't last, he wishes he can have more chances to talk with these soul reapers.

While all of the others have gone on to mingle with the members of soul society, Dr. Strange has stayed to coordinate with Captain Yamamoto. Captain Kuchiki and Captain Komamura stay behind as well, forming a semi-circle around the head captain's desk.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Before I leave to retrieve my body, I would like your permission to set up a protective barrier around the Rukon District. It will not hold Thanos for long but it will alert us to his presence, should he decide to attack. Unfortunately I do not know enough about hollows' energy signature to keep them from attacking.'

**Yamamoto:** 'That is acceptable. Byakuya, Sajin; while the doctor is making his preparations, I want you to send your lieutenants and a team to patrol the area.'

**Byakuya:** 'Understood head captain.'

**Komamura:** 'Yes sir.'

They turn and leave the office to give the orders to their lieutenants. The old man turns to Dr. Strange.

**Yamamoto:** 'I'm going to have a member of the fourth squad who is familiar with humans escort you to the world of the living. He'll be needed to have you safely travel back here when you are ready.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Thank you again for your acceptance and help in our problem.'

With that Stephan takes his leave of the captain and walks to the fourth squad's barracks. When he gets there he realizes that Yamamoto must have sent a message ahead of him, because outside, someone is waiting for him. He is young and short with chin-length black hair. Dr. Strange notices that he is slightly nervous; like he's trying hard not to make mistakes. He is dressed in normal soul reaper robes with a pack strapped onto his back.

**?:** 'H-hello, you must be Dr. Strange, one of the humans everyone's been talking about. My name is Hanataro Yamada and I'll be helping you get back here safely.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Thank you Hanataro, your assistance will be greatly appreciated. Before we head out, I need to erect a magical barrier around the Rukon district, so I will just need a few minutes.'

**Hanataro:** 'Of course! Can I do anything?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Not at the moment, I just need complete silence and total concentration.'

The soul reaper quiets down and waits patiently while the sorcerer recites a strange incantation. As more words are said, red archaic circular symbols appear around the magician's hands, and he puts his palms on the ground and the energy shoots out and disperses! He gets up and mockingly dusts off his hands.

**Dr. Strange:** 'That should hold for a while and it will let us know if Thanos tries to enter the district.'

**Hanataro:** 'Wow, that's amazing! The soul reapers that are really good at kidou don't make barriers that fast. You must be really powerful for a human.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I am known as Sorcerer Supreme where I come from so I'd like to think that there is not much I cannot do. Also, what I do is not kidou, it is magick and sorcery, similar yet different I assure you.'

**Hanataro:** 'All I'm good at is healing people; I'm not useful in a battle.'

**Dr. Strange:** Ah, but you do have your uses. Do not mistake your lack of fighting skills as a total lack of skill, Hanataro.'

**Hanataro:** 'Yes! Thank you very much Dr. Strange.'

As the conversation subsides the two men head off for the outskirts of Sei Rei Tei.

**Editor's notes: OK, here is a little more. It's a little longer than the other chapters because I'll be way from the computer for a couple of days. I hope this tides you over until next time! Happy reading!**


	9. Just One of Those Days

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Just One of Those Days**

At the same time as Dr. Strange is teleporting back to the land of the living to retrieve his body and do a proper spirit exchange, Wolverine is out patrolling the Rukon district on his own. It's a calm twilight, as dusk has yet to settle, and Logan can hear the nocturnal creatures start to stir. _If this is like reincarnation, then I'd hate to see what people did to get their second life as bugs. _He can't help but smile at his musings until he sniffs the air and smells a familiar scent which he remembers from his fight at Urahara's.

**Wolverine:** 'Damn.'

Using his keen eye sight, the feral mutant looks into the forest and spots ten of the Thanos hollow.

**Wolverine:** 'Well I wasn't plannin' on sleepin' ta night anyways.'

He crouches low and explodes into a dead sprint toward his targets. As he gets closer, and the forest starts to open up a bit, he realizes that the ten he first saw were just the ones in front of about seventy-five more plainer-looking hollow! Logan knows he can't stop now, so he bares his teeth and pops his claws with an audible 'SNIKT'. He lets out a spine-tingling howl and plows into the first couple of changed hollow! He takes out his first two opponents with lightning quick slashes and dodges one of the normal hollow's cero, letting the energy destroy another one of his augmented foes. He lets his instincts take over, feeling every change in the air around him as the hollow attack from seemingly every angle. Wolverine is ferocious but as good as he is, there are still sixty-seven hollow remaining, and finally the numbers start to catch up with the little man's skill. A hollow about Logan's size catches his wrist and throws him into a tree! The mutant rolls with the blow, slightly dazed, and slices off another hollow's tentacles before he is hit with a blast of energy from yet another one of his opponents. The blast sends him back out into the clearing that he had just come from when he spotted the gathered hollow. With his kimono and hair smoking in various places and bleeding slightly from others, Wolverine braces again for another attack. Forty of the group emerge from the forest and surround the scrapper.

**Wolverine:** 'I'm gonna be bad fer yer digestion ya filthy sons a bitches!'

The gathered masses start to charge their cero beams all at once and just as they are about to release the stored energy, ten of the forty seem to implode! The remaining hollow let out an eerie roar of surprise and start to retreat into the woods.

**Wolverine:** 'Ah hell, what now?'

Standing in place of the ten disintegrating hollow are now ten ninja clad soul reapers.

**?:** 'Ha-ha! Those hollow didn't even know what hit 'em, thanks to the Special Forces Patrol Corps. I don't know what the big deal about this "new threat" is anyway.'

Standing well away from the site where the battle just took place is a fairly tall, robust soul reaper. He is a balding man with a cocky yet clueless expression on his face and he is wearing flashy gold jewelry and a purple sash-like garment that protrudes from under his kimono and covers his shoulders. Wolverine just looks at the newcomer, sizing him up. Suddenly the wind changes and he gets a whiff of his scent. Once he sifts through the awful smelling cologne the guy took a bath in, he detects the familiar scent of squad two. He smiles inwardly at this revelation. _Oh I bet that Soi Fon dame loves this guy._

**Wolverine:** 'Hey bub, what're ya doin' all the way over there? Seems ta me yer fella's did all the dirty work and yer tryin' ta take all the credit.'

**?:** 'What? What did you say? No lowly soul reaper talks to Marechiyo Yoshiayamenosuke Nikkotaroemon Omaeda that way! What squad are you from so I can report your insubordination?'

Wolverine smiles at the seemingly insane man.

**Wolverine:** 'Anyone ever tell ya yer loud? Omaeda was it? News flash tubby, I aint no soul reaper; I'm a mutant here ta save yer worthless ass. The name's Wolverine, bub; didn't Soi Fon tell ya 'bout me?'

Marechiyo looks at the small man with his mouth agape. He huffs over to where Logan is standing and gets right up into his face, breathing heavily.

**Omaeda:** 'I-I can't believe you called my captain by her first name! Surely you can't be on friendlier terms with her than me. I'm Captain Soi Fon's lieutenant; we go everywhere together and I don't ever call her anything but "captain".'

**Wolverine:** 'That's probably cause she thinks yer as annoyin' as I do.'

As the two men exchange insults, the hollow that retreated after having some of their number reduced, come back with reinforcements. The ten soul reapers that accompanied Omaeda on patrol react first, only to be killed by the hollow's sudden attack! Before the hefty lieutenant can react, a gigantic jet-black hollow fires its cero right at his back!

**Wolverine:** 'Look out!'

Wolverine instinctually pushes the larger man out of the way and takes the blast dead in the chest burning half of his kimono away and knocking him back several yards! The remaining hollow emerge from the tree line and they once again surround the burnt, but healing Wolverine and his verbal sparring partner.

**?:** 'Roar, Zabimaru!'

Logan, still healing, feels a rush of wind over his left shoulder as a long whip-like segmented sword flies by his head and into the giant hollow, slicing it in half! As the sword comes around it takes out five more opponents. Wolverine follows the sword's movement back to its origin and sees an intense soul reaper with a white headband and his red hair pulled back into a wild pony tail. Around his eye brows are black tribal tattoos that climb down his neck and disappear beneath his kimono. He spots another soul reaper rushing in for some close range combat with his sword drawn. He's a little bigger than his companion with short black hair and a thin mustache. His eyes are covered with black sun glasses. He dives into a swarm of ten of the hollow and restrains a couple of them with yellow glowing chains and then destroys his remaining adversaries with a few swings of his falchion-like blade that has a spike that juts out just below the end of the tip. As the man finishes off the ten hollow, Logan looks to where he pushed Omaeda and sees him recovering and drawing his sword.

**Omaeda:** 'I don't know why you pushed me down, little man but I'm gonna show you these hollow are nothin' to me! Crush 'em, Gegetsuburi!'

As he says this, his sword disappears in an explosion of smoke and when it clears, he stands there holding a large, spiked flail attached to the handle of his sword by a long chain. He smiles proud and throws his weapon at the nearest hollow and it hits it in the chest, sending the monster crashing into the ground. Wolverine shakes his head and leaps back into the chaos. He is joined in battle with the two new comers and about twelve more soul reapers and soon the battle is won with just a few of the twelve soul reapers sustaining minor injuries. When the dust settles, and the hollow have been wiped out, Wolverine walks up to the red headed soul reaper and grins at him.

**Wolverine:** 'That's a pretty fancy blade ya got there bub. Ya got some skill wieldin' that thing that's fer sure. But just fer the record, I coulda handled them no problem.'

He sniffs the air and notices that the red headed soul reaper is from the sixth squad, but also smells a faint scent of the thirteenth squad on him. He smells the other man and knows that he comes from the fox's seventh squad.

**?:** 'You're not too bad with those claws of yours, and even though you were beat up when I got here, you don't have a scratch on you now. I'm Renji Abarai, and I'm the lieutenant of the sixth squad. The man next to me is Tetsuzaemon Iba and he's the lieutenant of the seventh squad.'

**Wolverine:** 'The name's Wolverine and I thought ya smelled like the sixth squad. Just curious though; why do ya smell like Ukitake-San's squad too?'

**Renji:** 'What? Heh, you're just full of surprises. I have a, ah, friend that's in the thirteenth squad.'

**Wolverine:** 'Fair enough bub. What's up with wearin' shades at night, Iba-san?'

**Tetsuzaemon:** 'They help separate me from the pack, plus they look real cool.'

The soul reapers and Logan interact fluidly and without any tension. Perhaps it's because Wolverine has lived so long and has so much experience, or maybe it's because the soul reapers got to see him in action before meeting him, but he seems to fit right in with these men. They talk for a little while longer and then as the conversation starts to fade, Renji gets down to business.

**Renji:** 'We need to report back to our captains about what has happened. It seems that regular hollow and even Gillian are being attracted to these new "Thanos hollow". You should come too Logan; you've got an idea how this Thanos fights and Captain Kuchiki could use that knowledge.'

**Wolverine:** 'Nah bub, I think that guy's a little too uptight fer my likin'; 'sides, the nights nice so I think I'll just wander 'round some more.'

**Tetsuzaemon:** 'Suit yourself. Come on Abarai, let's get back. Hey, Wolverine, maybe after all this is over, you can join me and my friend Ikkaku in a friendly drinking battle. The loser has to buy the next bottle.'

**Wolverine:** 'If ya have money to waste, then name the time an' place.'

The soul reapers vanish and Logan casually walks around for a few more hours, using all of his senses to take in this new world. Meanwhile in the world of the living Hanataro waits while Dr. Strange talks with Urahara.

**Kisuke:** 'Ah, so you made them see how grave their situation is and after a few minor quarrels, got Yamamoto to listen to you. Your skills are pretty impressive, Dr. Strange.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Soul Society is an amazing dimension, which is unique and vast as any I have seen before. My comrades seem to be enjoying themselves well also; with each of them finding a soul reaper or two they seem to relate to.'

**Kisuke:** 'That's good to hear because I think they're going to have to trust each other in the coming battles. I've been keeping tabs on this Thanos, and his strength seems to grow with every minute he spends in Soul Society. Yoruichi says he has been absorbing every soul reaper that has come up against him.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I must get back at once then. The longer we let him observe and experiment in that world, the more difficult he will be to defeat.'

**Kisuke:** 'Ichigo has almost completed his training and he will join you when he does, and Yoruichi will join you in Soul Society in the morning.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Thank you again, Kisuke, your assistance has been a great blessing.'

**Kiskuke:** 'Well if it gets too bad, I may just join in the battle myself.'

He smiles to himself and turns away from the mystic, disappearing into the next room. Dr. Strange takes the small gumball-like sphere and places it in his mouth. He is instantly turned into a soul and with that done; he walks out of Urahara's Shop to travel back to Soul Society with Hanataro's help.

The next morning, the captain of the eleventh squad goes to check on his sparring partner. He yells from outside the door.

**Kenpachi:** 'Hey Hulk, are ya awake? You an' I are gonna teach my squad a thing or two about fightin'.'

He waits for an answer but all he can hear is light breathing.

**Kenpachi:** 'Can ya hear me? Don't make me come in there and beat the green off of ya.'

Zaraki opens the door and starts to throw out another insult when he stops dead and looks down at the sleeping human with brown hair. He continues to stare at the little, half-naked man in front of him while rubbing the back of his neck.

**Kenpachi:** 'Hey Yachiru, when we left Hulk here last night, he was big and green and mean, right?'

**Yachiru:** 'Right!'

**Kenpachi:** 'Then I wanna know who the hell this guy's supposed ta be. Go get Ikkaku and Yumichika; I'll ask 'em what they think.'

**Yachiru:** 'Sure thing, Kenny!'

The pink-haired girl vanishes and the spikey-haired soul reaper nudges the man in over-sized purple pants with his foot and he stirs slightly.

**Bruce Banner:** 'Huh? What?'

The man that Kenpachi sees before him is the vessel of the personified rage that is Hulk. Under anger or other types of duress, Banner's irradiated blood is mixed with adrenaline and the resulting reaction is Bruce's inner most feelings of hurt, loss, pain and rage physically manifesting them selves into a form of pure power. Bruce turns and looks up at the big intimidating man with spikey hair and the long scar down his eye.

**Bruce:** 'Wait, I- I remember… Dr. Strange… Thanos…'

**Kenpachi:** 'What're ya talkin' about little man, where's the big green guy that was here last night?'

The man closes his eyes and concentrates, trying to remember what has happened for the last couple of days. He has images; glimpses of what the Hulk has been through. He sees this man, smiling and asking if he is strong. He shakes his head, trying to clear his confusion and before he can speak, two more men walk into the room.

**Ikkaku:** 'Who's this captain and why's he wearing Hulk's pants?'

**Yumichika:** 'He's not very beautiful either, Ikkaku. I'd rather not be here.'

**Bruce:** 'You are… Kenpachi Zaraki… The man I… Hulk fought, and you are Ikkaku Madarame… Hulk arm wrestled you. I'm sorry gentlemen, I'm not that monster.'

The three men look at each other in confusion and look back at the lanky half-naked human.

**Kenpachi:** 'Cut the crap; are ya sayin' that you're Hulk but ya aint?'

**Bruce:** 'That's correct.'

Before anyone can protest or get more of an explanation, Bruce hears Psylocke in his mind. _Bruce? It's Betsy; do you remember why you're 'ere with us? You came to 'elp Dr. Strange, Thor, Wolverine and I stop Thanos. We need 'ulk's strength right now and I can tell if you don't transform soon, that man there may 'urt you. _Bruce thinks back._ You know how dangerous that monster is! Just because I have a bit of control over him, doesn't mean I still won't hurt somebody if I lose it. _Psylocke responds._ We know the risks and burdens you bare Bruce Banner, but you're a 'ero and you know we can't do this without your 'elp. Plus I 'ave a feeling that 'ulk likes Kenpachi and without 'ulk around, he would be miserable. _Bruce sighs and resigns to relinquish control over to the Hulk. _Ok, Psylocke, but I will not be held responsible for what he does. _He opens his eyes and unclenches his fists as he looks at the three soul reapers.

**Bruce:** 'Alright Kenpachi; you want the Hulk, you got him.'

He takes a couple of deep breaths and his face goes blank. As the reapers look on, the man's body starts to tremble and convulse. The sound of breaking bone and ripping muscle can be heard as Bruce's body transforms and starts to take on a greenish tint. He grows considerably right before the gathered men and they watch in silence as the metamorphosis is completed. The once baggy ripped pants are now snug on the massive green frame of the Hulk.

**Hulk:** 'Hey Kenpachi, Ikkaku. Oh you're here too, peacock?'

**Yumichika:** 'Oh, ugly is back. I must say that your other form was less harsh on the eyes.'

**Hulk:** 'Yeah that guy is a pain, but now I'm back.

**Kenpachi:** 'That's some crazy thing ya got goin' on there Hulk. I want ya to help me train my squad in how ta fight this Thanos guy. My squad's been itchin' for a fight with this guy and I think ya can help us get ready for him.'

**Hulk:** 'Sounds like fun. I might not go easy on your guys though, Zaraki.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Eh, if they can't take the beatin' then they don't need to be in my squad.'

With that the four men and Yachiru head for the eleventh squad's courtyard for a little training.

Wolverine, who spent most of the night outside, is again just walking around the outskirts of the Rukon district. He starts to walk back to see what everyone else is up to when he catches another familiar scent. This time, he smiles and continues to walk as if nothing has changed. He walks a little further along and casually calls out to the familiar scent.

**Wolverine:** 'Alright Yoruichi, ya can walk beside me now.'

A few moments of silence and then the female from Urahara's appears next to the hairy man. She stands just shorter than the 5'3" Wolverine and every curve is accentuated by her new outfit. Her new attire is sleeveless and very similar to what Soi Fon wears. It is cut low down her back and just covering her front. She wears black arm sleeves and form-fitting pants.

**Yoruichi:** 'You have very attuned senses Logan, and apparently no shame.'

She catches him again looking at her approvingly.

**Wolverine:** 'Ya caught me sweetheart; I just can't help but look at a beautiful woman.'

**Yoruichi:** 'Flattery will get you far with most women, Wolverine, but not with me. Care to take a walk to the second squad?'

**Wolverine:** 'Hah. Ok, darlin' lead the way.'

The two walk in silence, neither minding the quiet; preferring to observe each other instead.

Thor being a god never has to sleep, so he heads out early to wander the grounds. He takes his red cape and covers his new kimono with it; retaining some of his Asgardian look. He passes a few soul reapers as he walks and they stare while giving the man a wide birth. He doesn't pay too much attention to this and continues his tour of this strange new land. Suddenly he hears a regal yet solemn voice behind him.

**Byakuya:** 'Even your footsteps are loud.'

**Thor:** 'You art the captain from earlier; Byakuya Kuchiki. What right doth thou have to belittle the god of thunder? Surely I hath not insulted you in any way.'

**Byakuya:** 'You insult me by being here; you are not dead, yet you walk on our soil, drink our sake and flirt with our women.'

**Thor:** 'Hold now, captain of the sixth squad. Now you hath insulted me! My friends and I art here to save yon world and ask for nothing in return, yet you judge me? Wouldest thou like me to show you mine strength? Perhaps that will stay your tongue.'

As Thor gets more and more agitated, the clear morning starts to become overcast and dim. Captain Kuchiki turns his back on Thor and starts to walk away.

**Byakuya:** 'Save your rage for the coming battles. Afterwards I may call on you for a test of strength…'

Thor calms down and the skies go back to normal.

**Thor:** 'Aye, we will soon test our mettle, soul reaper.'

Psylocke has been up for awhile now due to the constant chatter going on in her head. It isn't too taxing on her; it's just a bit of an annoyance. She's sitting Indian-style on a grassy cliff, meditating with her eyes closed. The wind blows her hair gently about as she takes in the freshness of this world. As she sits in silence she hears a familiar mind close by. _I wonder how far her mind can reach. I've never been this curious about a human before, but despite all that has happened in the past few weeks, I feel like I can trust her._ Psylocke smiles at his thoughts and goes back to meditating, letting Shuuhei find her.

**Shuuhei:** 'Psylocke. I'm not disturbing you, am I?'

**Psylocke:** 'No of course not, Shuu'ei; but please, call me Betsy.'

The lieutenant of the ninth squad sits down next to the purple-haired beauty and stares off into the horizon. Psylocke doesn't press for conversation, noting that the silence is nice as well.

**Shuuhei:** 'Besides Captain Komamura, you're the only other person that has seen the burdens that I carry. It was a shock for me to relive my captain's betrayal and judging by your face yesterday, you didn't expect what you saw either.'

**Psylocke:** 'You're right Shuu'ei; with my abilities, I've seen a lot of pain and fear. But it's been a long time since I've seen such trust broken in a single act.'

**Shuuhei:** 'To be honest, even though you're human, it's nice to have someone who truly understands what has happened and doesn't look down on me for my weakness.'

**Psylocke:** 'Are you saying you're week because you trusted someone? That's not weakness dear; that shows you 'ave a 'eart.'

A few more seconds pass in silence as the soul reaper absorbs the mutant's words. Psylocke playfully nudges his bare shoulder with her body.

**Psylocke:** 'So; do you 'ave any other talents other than the ability to lament beautifully?'

This catches him off guard as he blushes and looks at her before answering.

**Shuuhei:** 'Yeah, I uh, can sort of play the guitar. I can cook pretty well too.'

**Psylocke:** 'Well, a musician and a chef; you sure know 'ow to sweep a woman of 'er feet.'

**Shuuhei:** 'Have you had breakfast yet? We could… if you wanted to… I could make you something; consider it a peace offering.'

**Psylocke:** 'If only you play for me after we eat.'

The soul reaper and mutant get up and head down the hill. Psylocke smiles and is thankful that she came on this journey with Dr. Strange and the others.

As Wolverine and Yoruichi enter the grounds of squad two, they are met by Soi Fon. She has changed as well since last time Wolverine has seen her. The small, grey-eyed captain still wears her white haori but without her kimono underneath revealing her slender, toned arms. Logan hears the Chinese woman's breath catch in her throat as she looks at the chocolate-skinned woman.

**Soi Fon:** 'Yoruichi-sama? Filthy mongrel, how dare you walk so close to the goddess, breathing the same air as her?'

Logan raises an eyebrow and looks over at his companion.

**Wolverine:** 'Yoruichi "sama"? I didn't know she had that much respect fer anybody.'

Yoruichi sighs and folds her arms impatiently.

**Yoruichi:** 'I keep telling her to just call me Yoruichi, but she can't get past the honorifics.'

Soi Fon rushes Wolverine and in an instant draws her sword and has the man by the throat with her zanbakutou at his jugular!

**Soi Fon:** 'You lack respect and honor by being so close to Yoruichi-sama and I should kill you where you stand.'

**Yoruichi:** 'I don't know about that Soi; you should look down first.'

**Soi Fon:** 'What?'

As she looks down she notices wolverine's fist pressed lightly against her midsection angled slightly to where if he were to unsheathe his claws, her lung would be punctured! Irritated, she lets him go and moves closer to the dark-skinned woman.

**Soi Fon:** 'I wasn't really planning on killing him; I just wanted him away from you.'

**Yoruichi:** 'Are you sure you didn't want him for yourself so you pulled him away from me? I remember when you used to get defensive whenever Urahara and I were together too, but it's good that you now have a new crush.'

The smaller captain's brow furrows when Yoruichi says Kisuke's name and she tries to stop her mentor from poking more fun.

**Soi Fon:** 'I-I do not like this man in that way. I respect his abilities as a fighter but that is all. He's rude and has no respect for personal boundries.'

**Yoruichi:** 'If that is how you feel then very well. I wanted to see you to tell you what I have gathered on Thanos and his plans, when I met Logan just wandering around. He recently had a battle with a great number of hollow and he fought along side Renji Abarai, Tetsuzaemon Iba and your lieutenant. Though just between you and me, Omaeda didn't do much of anything but he probably thinks he saved the day.'

**Soi Fon:** 'Omaeda; that man is an imbecile. I detest his very presence.'

**Wolverine:** 'I don't see how that man became yer lieutenant but he definitely worships the ground ya walk on.'

The lithe captain scoffs at Wolverine's words and walks on the other side of Yoruichi, plainly avoiding the gruff man. They walk together mostly in silence until they reach the main courtyard of the second squad. There they find Soi Fon's well fed lieutenant and fifteen other soul reapers. Hushed murmurs and whispers spread through the gathered people as they lay eyes on Yoruichi who was, until recently, an outcast.

**Soi Fon:** 'This human has information on our target Thanos and he's here to tell us how he fights and what to expect. Anyone who falls behind will get no sympathy from me.'

Standing a few feet away and whispering so as only Yoruichi can hear, Logan says.

**Wolverine:** 'I thought she was cold, but she even treats her underlings like garbage.'

**Yoruichi:** 'To be honest, you can probably blame me for her icy exterior. I abandoned her one hundred years ago to help Kisuke and she took it pretty hard. So now she doesn't let anyone get close to her.'

**Wolverine:** 'Well she seems ta idolize ya still from the way she carries herself 'round ya. I tell ya Yoruichi; that kind o' loyalty is rare.'

**Yoruichi:** 'She's a fierce protector and very proud as I'm sure you're well aware by now. Other than Urahara, there's not a single person in this world I trust more then her.'

Soi Fon finishes speaking to her squad and eyes Logan to take over. She silently walks past him to stand by Yoruichi as Wolverine clears his throat and steps up to talk to the soul reapers.

**Wolverine:** 'Alright guys, in case ya haven't heard, the name's Wolverine and I'm the best there is at what I do. First off, Thanos is powerful; and I'm not just talkin' bout yer average run o' the mill powerful. Most likely, even some o' yer captains haven't seen his kind o' power before. The guy has brought our universe to its knees more than once and it took a hell of a lot of sacrifice ta bring him down. His kind o' evil doesn't seem ta go away though; and now he's here spreadin' his stink all over this place.'

Logan pauses for a moment to let his description sink in. He notices the lieutenant standing with an expression of indifference, picking in his ear.

**Wolverine:** 'If ya got somethin' ta say Omaeda, spit it out.'

**Omaeda:** 'I fought some of his new hollow and they weren't so tough. I don't see what the big deal is about this guy; my captain could defeat him, no problem!'

With that remark, his captain speaks up at the same time Wolverine starts to speak.

**Wolverine/Soi Fon:** 'You're an idiot.'

Wolverine cracks a rare smile while eyeing Soi Fon approvingly, but she attempts to ignore him. Before she completely turns her face, Logan notices her lips turned up into a smile of her own. Without facing her subordinate, the captain of the second squad chastises the 5'10 1/2" Omaeda.

**Soi Fon:** 'How dare you degrade an opponent before you know anything about their skill in battle? As the head of the Onmitsukidou patrol unit, you always gather as much information as possible before making assumptions. You disappoint me.'

**Omaeda:** 'C-Captain! I was just tryin' to say that you're the best! I meant no disrespect.'

**Soi Fon:** 'Whatever. We will see how this Thanos fights very soon and we will throw everything we have at him.'

**Wolverine:** 'That's a good attitude to have darlin'. I bet Dr. Strange can give yer squad a better idea 'bout Thanos, cause he's dealt with him a lot more than I have. I'm pretty much here to just give him as much hell as I can.'

**Yoruichi:** 'Let's go Soi Fon and see Dr. Strange; I'm sure we can trust Logan not to make too much of a racket with your squad.'

She winks at Wolverine as she puts an arm around her small friend. The captain embraces her immediately and Logan can hear a small sigh escape Soi Fon's lips as they walk away together. He scratches his head at what he just witnessed and as he turns to antagonize Omaeda for shits and giggles, he comes face to face with another woman.

Wolverine: 'What the-'

The woman before him is dressed in the familiar soul reaper kimono with her hair pulled back neatly and she is wearing glasses. She doesn't carry a sword tucked into her obi however; she does carry a large leather-bound book held tightly in the crook of her elbow.

**?:** 'Wolverine-san, I've been asked to bring you to my captain.'

**Wolverine:** 'Wait, it isn't that Mayuri guy is it? I told him if he ever…'

Logan stops and sniffs the air and realizes that this woman must be the lieutenant of Shunsui Kyoraku. He also notices that this woman is not the woman he detected last night at the eighth captain's chambers. He calms down quickly and cracks a smile at the beautiful, yet serious soul reaper.

**Wolverine:** 'Ok, I get it; he's just now wakin' up from that drinkin' game an' he's wonderin' why I aint passed out next to him, covered in my own vomit! What's yer name darlin'?'

The lieutenant stares wide-eyed at the shorter man; she blinks and recovers quickly.

**?:** 'My name is Nanao Ise and you shouldn't speak ill of Captain Kyoraku, Wolverine. He's very strong and even though I don't agree with his antics sometimes, he probably let you win to show you his hospitality.'

**Wolverine:** 'Ya don't have ta tell me he's strong, sweetheart. I could tell just by watchin' him move that he can fight. As far as lettin' me win? I don't know 'bout that. Let's go see yer captain; I hope he aint too hung over!'

**Nanao:** 'Follow me.'

The two walk off together and Wolverine hears Omaeda talking before they vanish from view.

**Omaeda:** 'Who does that guy think he is? How does he get to be on a first name basis with Captain Kyoraku and above all else, my captain! That little runt's gonna get it; just wait 'till next time I see him…'

The boastful man trails off, or rather Logan stops listening, and refocuses on following Lieutenant Ise.

Quickly putting his altercation with Byakuya behind him, Thor continues his walk around Sei Rei Tei. As he rounds a corner he spots Toshiro walking with his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto. His spirits pick up considerably at his findings and he increases his pace to meet up with the soul reapers.

**Thor:** 'Ho there Captain Hitsugaya, how doth thee fair this day?'

The boy captain looks up and acknowledges the thunder god.

**Toshiro:** 'Good morning Thor, I see that one of the kimonos fits you. How did you sleep?'

**Rangiku:** 'Thanks for the good time last night Thor; even Kira-kun had a good time!'

**Thor:** 'I enjoyed thine company as well Rangiku. Captain, thank you for the garments; they doth be a little loose for my tastes but they serve me well. Tis good I found both of you; I wanted to ask you about your sword, captain.'

Rangiku and her captain look at each other and then back to Thor.

**Toshiro:** 'What do you want to know about him?'

**Thor:** 'So you doth speak of your weapon like it is sentient. Lieutenant Izuru did sayeth the same about his sword, Wabisuke. Do you, Rangiku, also have a name for yon sword?'

**Rangiku:** 'Her name is "Haineko", but she doesn't behave as well for me as Hyourinmaru does for my captain.'

She unconsciously pats the hilt of her sword which is secured horizontally to the small of her back. Thor notices that the guard is shaped similar to a cats head as he turns back towards the silver-haired captain.

**Thor:** 'I am curious how you came to control such powerful energies, young captain. Mine mite was bestowed upon me at birth and whenst I obtained Mjllonir I became e'en more powerful.'

**Toshiro:** 'A soul reaper is born with their zanbakutou and they die with it as well. In order to gain power you have to be able to communicate with your spirit. That is what a zanbakutou is; your spirit. What separates captains from lieutenants and lieutenants from ordinary soul reapers is the level of communication that they achieve with their spirit.'

He looks up at the thunder god and sees recollection in his eyes so he continues.

**Toshiro:** 'To date there is only one person who has obtained the rank of captain that doesn't know the name of his sword, and that is Captain Kenpachi Zaraki. My ability to control and manipulate every form of ice is the result of Hyourinmaru.'

**Thor:** 'Tis good that you art strong Captain, for Thanos is powered by the cosmic forces themselves! His abilities defy the gods and his very name makes men fearful. But worry not, for I understand the strength that yon soul reapers possess and the Mad Titan will fall before our combined forces!'

**Rangiku:** 'You're pretty amazing Thor; I got goose bumps from your speech!'

**Toshiro:** 'He's trying to warn us about the level of danger that this Thanos represents and you drool over his words? Matsumoto you can be so air-headed sometimes.'

**Thor:** 'Worry not ice wielder, she does not offend in any way. Her charm, I doth believe, is limitless.'

**Rangiku:** 'Thank you Thor; at least someone appreciates my womanly appeal.'

She winks at Thor and smiles flirtatiously. Hitsugaya shakes his head and ignores her care-free attitude.

Hulk stands ten feet away from the eleventh squad's third seat, Ikkaku Madarame and smirks at his opponent. The soul reaper casually holds his sheathed sword over his shoulders while smirking confidently. They are surrounded by Kenpachi and Yachiru, Yumichika, and ten other squad eleven soul reapers.

**Hulk:** 'Don't hold back cue ball; I'm gonna show you what kind of strength Thanos has.'

**Ikkaku:** '"Cue ball"? Careful Hulk, I'll shave that mop you call hair right off your ugly head.'

**Hulk:** 'Let's see what you got!'

The bald third seat brings his sword down to waist level and smirks while using his thumb to unsheathe his zanbakutou. He rushes the jade giant using flash step and unleashes a flurry of attacks with his sword! Hulk proceeds to punch each sword strike away with his fists, not letting Ikkaku inside of his massive ten foot reach! Frustrated, Madarame changes his tactics a bit by using his sheath as a parrying attack as well as his powerful sword strikes. Hulk grabs the third seat's wrist after one of his attacks and throws him to the ground!

**Hulk:** 'Come on Ikkaku, you have to do better than that if you expect to take on Thanos. If we're going on pure strength, I have him beat, but he has a lot more going for him then just how much he can bench. You have to try and outthink him as well as overpower him.'

**Ikkaku:** 'Oh don't worry; I haven't even begun ta fight yet. Extend, Hozukimaru!'

The soul reaper puts the handle of his sword to the end of his sheath and once connected, the two parts become one, revealing a spear-like weapon with a foot and a half inch blade on one end and a red tassel on the other. This new weapon of his is about eight feet long, and after the transformation, Ikkaku smiles, well aware that with his reach he can now get inside Hulk's defenses! He again rushes the gargantuan but before he can get to him, Hulk punches the ground, bringing up a large makeshift shield to block Hozukimaru's assault. Seconds after the barrier is erected, Hulk looks up to see Ikkaku smiling wide as he leapt over the barricade while bringing down his weapon to strike him in the heart! Hulk moves at the last second, but the spear cuts his skin. As the spear stabs into the ground, Ikkaku spins around the shaft, kicking Hulk several times hard in the face! Hulk grunts and staggers back momentarily, wiping his jaw while smiling. Ikkaku lands in a low stance, spinning Hozukimaru around his body, letting it come to a rest; pointing at Hulk.

**Hulk:** 'That's better little man. It's still not enough to beat him, but you can at least annoy him. You gotta keep him guessing at what your next move is going to be. I'm assuming that all you soul reapers have transformations for your swords? With that change, you got faster and stronger and I'm hoping Thanos won't be able to keep up with the increase in power you all possess.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Just let me handle the guy Hulk; if he's as strong as you say he is then I know I'm gonna have some fun!'

**Yachiru:** 'Yeah Kenny, go have fun!

**Hulk:** 'Heh, cute kid. I hate to admit it but you need to talk to Dr. Strange; he's got the means to bring down big ugly.'

**Yumichika:** 'Oh dear, if he's uglier than you, then I may just go blind from looking at him.'

Zaraki and Hulk leave to go find Dr. Strange, leaving Kenpachi's third and fifth seat to their own devices.

Back at the ninth squad's headquarters, the purple-haired mutant and the spikey-haired soul reaper have finished breakfast, and Hisagi is lightly playing his guitar for Psylocke. The ninja beauty is kneeling on the wooden floor across from the tattooed lieutenant enjoying the lazy morning. Suddenly she sits up; rigid. Hisagi stops playing.

**Shuuhei:** 'What is it Betsy?'

**Psylocke:** 'Dr. Strange is requesting 'elp from the captain of the twelfth squad; Kurotsuchi? Some of the captains 'ave started to search for Stephen along with most of our group.'

**Shuuhei:** 'If Captain Kurotsuchi is involved, there's no telling what will happen. Come on; let's go see what they're up to.'

The two head out with Psylocke using her telepathy to keep in touch with the sorcerer supreme.


	10. Preparations

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Preparations**

Stephen comes to a stop just outside two large doors with the kanji for '12' written above the entrance. Before the mystic can announce his presence, the two doors slowly open and before him, leaning up against the door frame stands the eccentric twelfth captain.

**Mayuri:** 'Ah, if it isn't the strange doctor of our new guests.'

The way Mayuri Kurotsuchi says 'guests', makes even Dr. Strange's skin crawl.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I am Dr. Strange and I am curious about some of your work, Captain Kurotsuchi.'

The brown-eyed, blue-haired man tilts his head to one side; intrigued.

**Mayuri:** 'My work? What would a magician want with science? I met you out here to satiate my curiosity; nothing more.'

The captain turns to leave but Dr. Strange stops him.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Would you not love to get your hands on Thanos? He is an alien being the likes of which you have never witnessed before. I can help you with that; if you help us in return.'

**Mayuri:** 'Blast. Very well mystic, follow me; but don't touch anything. What is it that you require in my lab?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'In my world several teams of heroes have places that they can train against threats for better coordination and a higher chance of victory in battle. These facilities utilize holographic imagery coupled with mechanical devices to create a sense of danger to test the combatant's skill. None of the soul reapers here have faced Thanos and lived to bring back any usable data. We need a way to train against Thanos without the possibility of death.'

**Mayuri:** 'If I help you, I expect compensation; do not complain when I use every piece of your Thanos in my experiments.'

Dr. Strange smiles and closes his eyes.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I will not protest if it means subduing his threat.'

**Mayuri:** 'Very well; follow me. Since that brat Kurosaki came to soul society and then used Bankai, I had to know how he achieved it in such a short time. It was Urahara's doing of course, and he used a device called Tenshintai, or for you, "divine transfer body".'

As they walk further down into the depths of his laboratory, Kurotsuchi continues.

**Mayuri:** 'In other words, it's a device that can forcibly bring out a soul reaper's spirit, manifesting itself physically. Sometime ago, I acquired one for myself and have undoubtedly improved upon its design. We can use your group's memories of Thanos to give my device form and then the squads will have something for each of them to fight against.'

**Dr. Strange:** '"Each of the squads"; do you mean that they will not fight as one unit?'

**Mayuri:** 'Oh no my dear magician, they will most certainly not fight together. When you have Neanderthals such as in the eleventh division; and single-minded windbags in the second and sixth; you will get no cooperation whatsoever. We all have pride Strange, and we would all love the recognition of the squad who brought down this evil.'

Dr. Strange can sense the sincerity in the man's words but the look on his face and his body language would have one believe he was mocking every one of his fellow squads. The two walk in silence for a moment while the sorcerer supreme calculates the amount of training devices they will need.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Do you have enough of these devices to accommodate all thirteen squads?'

Mayuri stops and again looks quizzically at Stephen as if he had just said something out of the ordinary.

**Mayuri:** '"Thirteen"? There's no need to use that much of my resources. My squad rarely fights and we will be monitoring and collecting data on the other squad's battle efficiency. The fourth squad specializes in healing the wounded so they will not need a Tenshintai either. Three squads are without captain direction and Head-Captain Yamamoto will not let lieutenants take on the task of leading a squad into s battle of this magnitude. No, I would say you only need seven at most. Fortunately, in my genius, I have made many; but that doesn't mean you should be careless with my inventions either, strange doctor.'

Knowing that it won't do any good to correct the mad scientist, Dr. Strange lets the soul reaper have his small victory and watches him as he gathers the devices together. The keeper of Agamotto bows slightly and teleports the seven Tenshintai magically to a pocket dimension for safe keeping while he walks out of the labyrinth-like laboratory. He heads back towards the first squad to get Head-Captain Yamamoto to call the captains together for a quick meeting on what the plan will be for training against Thanos. As he travels, the mystic enters the third squad and soon after senses another presence following him.

**Soi Fon:** 'Human; where are you headed?'

Dr. Strange stops and turns around to look up and he sees the small captain of the second squad standing on top of the corridor. Perched on her shoulder is a midnight black cat, sitting as if it belonged there.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Hello Captain Soi Fon; what brings you to see me? A black cat; is that you Yoruichi?

Soi Fon and the cat look at each other and the feline gently touches its head to the captain's cheek and jumps down. Suddenly the cat speaks to Dr. Strange in a gravely man's voice!

**Yoruichi:** 'Dr. Strange, it's good to see you; we were looking for you to get a better idea on how to take down Thanos.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Seeing you in your human form and then hearing you speak in this form is surprising Yoruichi. I have just come from Captain Kurotsuchi's lab and he gave me what he called Tenshintai to help train the soul reapers in combat against Thanos.'

**Yoruichi:** 'Tenshintai? Kisuke developed that as a means to quicken the process for achieving Bankai. What did he do for it to be useful against Thanos?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'He modified it slightly from its original application; so instead of a zanbakutou's spirit manifesting, it will make memories physical instead. The other heroes and I are going to use our experiences in dealing with the titan to power the devices.'

**Yoruichi:** 'That may just give us the edge we need to access his abilities and fighting style. I believe we still have the upper hand in the fact that he hasn't seen our full power. We're coming with you to see the head-captain.'

With that the onyx-colored feline effortlessly leaps up to Soi Fon's shoulder and the captain places a hand on her; stoking her ear and under her chin. The three walk together in silence as they exit the third squad.

Wolverine stops at the entrance of Shunsui Kyoraku's office and turns to the lieutenant of the eighth squad.

**Wolverine:** 'I knew the way here so ya didn't have ta escort me if ya had better things ta do darlin'.'

**Nanao:** 'I perform my duties no matter how trivial they seem to others. My captain may be a slacker but he is still my captain.'

Without waiting for a response, the soul reaper bows slightly and vanishes.

**Wolverine:** 'Huh.'

He opens the shoji and silently enters the building. Once inside, Logan looks around for Kyoraku but without any luck. He sniffs the air and finds the captain's scent leading outside and into the courtyard which is large and has a few cherry trees along with a koi pond. Shortly, he finds Shunsui lying lazily under one of the trees with his hat pulled down over his eyes, chewing on a piece of grass.

**Wolverine:** 'What's up bub?'

**Shunsui:** 'Ah, Logan-san, I'm glad you came. I see you've been busy since last night.'

**Wolverine:** 'Huh?'

Logan follows the soul reaper's eyes as he looks down at his burnt and ripped kimono and then smirks at the captain.

**Wolverine:** 'Oh this; yeah after ya two passed out on me I wanted ta explore a bit. Trouble always seems ta find me and I got in a scrape with some hollow.'

**Shunsui:** 'You're a dangerous man I think, Logan.'

**Wolverine:** 'Yer one ta talk Shunsui; ya coulda drank a lot more last night, but ya called it quits. I don't care personally, but ya don't seem like the kinda guy that would lose a bet if ya could help it.'

**Shunsui:** 'Eh, it can't be helped; I'm lazy that way. I don't like to use a whole lot of effort.'

Logan leans up against the tree next to where Kyoraku is laying and changes topics.

**Wolverine:** 'On my way here I caught scent of our guy Dr. Strange. He was walkin' with Soi Fon and what smelled like Yoruichi. I think somethin' might be happenin' soon; wanna find out?'

The captain adjusts his hat and looks in Logan's direction. He sighs and slowly gets up, stretching his back in a lazy manner.

**Shunsui:** 'You should lead Logan-san; since you have the best nose it would seem.'

The two men leave the peaceful setting and follow the mutant's nose as they track the sorcerer supreme.

Since becoming psychically aware of the situation with Dr. Strange, Psylocke has been in constant contact with the mystic via telepathy. Shuuhei and the sultry assassin walk through Sei Rei Tei towards Stephen as she continues to talk with him.

_Dr. Strange, are you 'eading to see the 'ead-captian? Yes I am Betsy; after speaking with the twelfth captain, we now have training devices to prepare for Thanos. Have you spoke to the rest of our team? _The mutant answers the mystic with her thoughts. _I'm tracking them now. Wolverine is with Shunsui Kyoraku and they are actually following your scent as we 'speak'. Thor is with the boy-captain of the tenth squad so I'll let 'im know what we're doing._ She momentarily breaks the link between her and Stephen as she thinks of the god of thunder. _Can you 'ear me Thor?_ She pauses as he thinks back. _Aye m'lady, yon voice rings clear. Good; Dr. Strange is 'eading to see Yamamoto, If you and Toshiro could meet 'im at the 'ead-captain's meeting room. We'll catch up with you shortly._ She again resumes her telepathic conversation with the sorcerer supreme. _Thor and the captain of squad ten are going to meet you at squad one. While I was linked with Thor I tried searching for 'ulk as well. 'E seems to be 'aving a friendly argument with that Kenpachi fellow over directions. 'E won't let me in, or rather 'e was annoyed that I was 'bugging him'. Shuu'ei and I will catch up with you once we stop and pick up the seventh squad captain, Komamura. _Dr. Strange silently agrees and breaks the connection with Psylocke as he and the two woman stop in front of the doors leading to the head-captain's meeting room.

Hulk and Kenpachi stand in the middle of a cross section of Sei Rei Tei, both of them folding their arms and turning their head to the other.

**Hulk:** 'So which way Zaraki?'

**Kenpachi:** 'How should I know, ain't this Strange guy your friend?'

**Hulk:** '"Friend" is kinda pushing it; but that doesn't change the fact that you should know where you're going. This is your stomping grounds!'

Yachiru pops up from the eleventh captain's shoulder and giggles.

**Yachiru:** 'Kenny and Green-green should go this way!'

She points to the right and both the battle-hungry Kenpachi and the gamma-irradiated Hulk shrug as they head in the direction that the small lieutenant points in. The three continue to walk and when they turn a corner, it runs into a dead end! Hulk looks up at the wall as he runs a hand through his shaggy hair.

**Hulk:** 'Dead end.'

**Yachiru:** 'Oh, I just remembered; it's this way!'

They turn around and head back the way they had come, taking another turn at the intersection they started at. They travel the corridor for a few minutes and then come to a 'T' section and the pink-haired soul reaper exclaims.

**Yachiru:** 'Left!'

**Kenpachi:** 'Ya sure this time, Yachiru? I'm tired of standin' around; I wanna hit somethin'!'

**Hulk:** 'I'm impressed Zaraki; you finally said something smart!'

**Kenpachi:** 'Keep talkin' that way Hulk and I'll settle for fightin' ya instead!'

Hulk smiles as they continue to travel on the whims of the tiny lieutenant who has the same directionless sense as her captain.

Before Dr. Strange and Soi Fon enter the head-captain's headquarters, Yoruichi jumps down from her perch on the second captain's slender shoulder.

**Yoruichi:** 'This is as far as I go for now. I'm still an "outcast" as it were and I don't think Yamamoto-san would care to see me after how I helped Urahara escape execution.'

**Soi Fon:** 'T-that was a long time ago Yoruichi-sama. I will vouch for you on this occasion!'

**Yoruichi:** 'Its okay Soi, I'll just be outside listening to everything anyway. I'll catch up with you when you're done.'

She leaps up to a nearby window and takes one last look at her former body guard and leaps down, disappearing from sight. The captain of squad two stiffens her shoulders and walks into the office with the mystic following behind. Yamamoto is facing away from the sorcerer and soul reaper looking out a nearby window. Soi Fon kneels before her elder before speaking.

**Soi Fon:** 'Head-captain; Dr. Strange has found a way for us to train against Thanos.'

The elder soul reaper turns around and acknowledges the two people standing before him.

**Yamamoto:** 'What do you have that will give us an advantage in battle against this brute?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I visited your scientist and he lent me a few devices called Tenshintai. Apparently your ally Ichigo achieved his Bankai with this device. Mayuri modified it slightly and now we will be able to draw upon our memories of the mad titan for you and your captains to get an idea of how he will fight.'

Yamamoto opens his eyes slightly at Dr. Strange's words and walks over to his desk.

**Yamamoto:** 'Very well. Lieutenant Sasakibe, send a message out to the other captains for another meeting. With the squads that do not have captains, tell their lieutenants to be present instead.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'You will not have to contact all of the captains; I spoke with our telepath Psylocke, and she informed me that Kenpachi, Shunsui and Toshiro are with members of our group. I believe that Shuuhei has gone to talk with Komamura as well.'

The white-haired lieutenant looks at his captain then bows and leaves the room.

Both men are quiet as Wolverine and Shunsui walk through the divisions of Sei Rei Tei. All of a sudden, Logan starts a conversation.

**Wolverine:** 'It's crazy Kyoraku-san, but it feels like I've become faster and stronger ever since we got here.'

**Shunsui:** 'Oh yeah? It's probably due to the spirit particles that make up soul society. The longer you stay here, the more your body will get used to the atmosphere.'

**Wolverine:** 'No offense but I didn't peg ya ta be the intellectual type, Shunsui.'

**Shunsui:** 'I'm not really; but when you've been here for more than two hundred years, you just know things. If you can already feel the changes to the atmosphere around you, I'm sure you'll be able to manipulate it real soon.'

**Wolverine:** 'When I first got here and I tangled with that firecracker Soi Fon, she said somethin' 'bout me "hiding my spiritual pressure". I didn't know what the hell she was talkin' 'bout but I guess this feelin' I have is spiritual pressure?'

**Shunsui:** 'I'd imagine it is; try to grasp that energy friend, it'll make you an even better fighter.'

Wolverine hunches over as he tucks his thumbs into his obi and Captain Kyoraku folds his arms into his sleeves. The two walk in silence once more as they see squad one come into view.

The lieutenant of the ninth squad leads Psylocke to the seventh squad's head quarters where his friend Captain Komamura resides. Betsy notices that this portion of Sei Rei Tei is a little more spread out with more grass and trees than she noticed in the tenth squad. The two find the soul reaper captain sitting at his desk going over some paperwork. Before the two get to his opened shoji screen doors, the fox's ear twitches and he turns his massive head.

**Komamura:** 'Welcome Lieutenant Shuuhei; Psylocke of the human world. What brings you to my office?'

**Shuuhei:** 'We're headed to meet with Head-Captain Yamamoto; Betsy has told me that her companion, Dr. Strange has found a way to train us against Thanos. I thought you could come with us.'

The humanoid fox gets up from his chair and looks down at the 5'11" individuals.

**Komamura:** 'I wish we could settle this without confrontation, but I see this creature will not listen to words and he needs to be brought to justice. He has caused enough destruction on soul society and I will not tolerate him any longer.'

The three head towards the first squad's headquarters in comfortable silence.

After breaking his telepathic conversation with Psylocke, Thor resumes his discussion with the boy captain and his busty lieutenant.

**Thor:** 'Forgive mine silence just now; Elizabeth hath informed me of Dr. Strange's plan. We shall meet at Captain Yamamoto's head quarters to strategize battle tactics against the vile Thanos.'

**Toshiro:** 'Good; I didn't want to wait around for much longer. He has beaten everyone we've sent after him so far and from what I hear, his presence has attracted more and more hollow to the surrounding area. Let's go and see what your doctor has to say.'

**Rangiku:** 'I'm not much for a lot of battle, but I agree with you captain; I was about to go crazy from just sitting around! Of course Thor, with you around, my time has been well spent.'

She smiles and winks at the thunder god who returns her smile with one of his own. Hitsugaya sighs and shakes his head while the three of them walk together to meet up with the others.

Hulk has lost count of how many corridors him and the two soul reapers have gone down and his patience have finally worn thin with the tiny lieutenant.

**Hulk:** 'Alright guys I'm kinda tired of running into dead ends.'

**Yachiru:** 'Awe Kenny, I think Green-green is mad.'

**Kenpachi:** 'That true Hulk; are ya mad?'

**Hulk:** 'I'm not mad; yet. I just know that there's an easier way of gettin' to the first squad than how we're doin' it.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Oh yeah, What'dya have in mind?'

**Hulk:** 'Back where I come from, if there's no door, I make one.'

With that he turns to face the nearest wall and simply punches a whole through it! The behemoth doesn't wait to see if the other two are following him as he proceeds to demolish two more walls before stepping into a large courtyard. He pauses for a moment to see where he's at and as does the eleventh captain and his lieutenant come strolling up on his right side. Kenpachi lets out a sigh and a chuckle.

**Kenpachi:** 'Anybody ever say ya got destructive tendencies? Impressive work though.'

**Yachiru:** 'Uh oh; Green-green's gonna get into trouble if somebody finds out who did this.'

**Kenpachi:** 'I wouldn't worry too much Yachiru; this looks like Kuchiki's place… he's got the funds ta rebuild.'

**Hulk:** 'Ha; that scrawny little stiff owns this place? I saw him when I came in after you and I tangled. That guy could use an attitude adjustment.'

Under his breath and to himself mostly, he adds;

**Hulk:** 'And here I thought Tony Stark was a prick.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Fer once I agree with ya; that guy thinks he's pretty high an' mighty. I wouldn't mind goin' a few rounds with him.'

**Hulk:** 'Well if we're at the sixth squad and we came from your eleventh, then at least that means we're goin' in the right direction. Let's see who can get there faster; the loser buys dinner!'

**Kenpachi:** 'What a stupid bet!'

Hulk doesn't respond but rather leaps into the air and momentarily nearly disappears from view from the amount of force he put behind his leap! Zaraki smirks and leaps onto the wall and leaps from wall to wall chasing after the jade giant.

Captain Kyoraku and Logan walk into the head-captain's meeting room to find Dr. Strange, Soi Fon, Retsu Unohana and the thirteenth captain, Ukitake. Shunsui bows slightly to the fourth squad captain and smiles at his longtime friend, Jushiro.

**Shunsui:** 'Your talents are pretty useful Logan; how did you know that this is where your friend would be?'

**Wolverine:** 'I gots all kinds o' secrets Shunsui; but really it's just one of my mutant abilities. I got enhanced senses and a healin' factor that has saved my bacon more times than I'd like ta admit.'

**Shunsui:** 'Wow, instant regeneration; some of our more powerful hollow, called arrancar have that ability.'

**Wolverine:** 'Huh; I wouldn't say it's "instant" and it hurts like hell, but I'll take it over dyin' any day.'

The two walk over to where Jushiro is standing and wait for the others to arrive. A few minutes later, Logan hears footsteps outside of the meeting room that they're in. Two heartbeats, two scents; similar yet distinct, two people. The soul reapers start a conversation and the mutant's acute hearing identifies the voices as well.

**Byakuya:** 'Wait here for me until I return; the human magician has means for us to combat the alien.'

**Renji:** 'Yes captain; I can't wait to get my hands on this guy!'

**Byakuya:** 'Be patient Abarai; your emotions will only get in the way.'

**Renji:** '… Yes captain Kuchiki.'

Silence; then the captain of the sixth squad opens the door and enters the room. To anyone else it would appear that the soul reaper is ignoring everyone in the room as he takes his place near the head-captain's desk, but Wolverine can tell the man is aware of everything going on. Another minute passes and the mutant hears more footfalls from outside. This time he smells the fox captain and his lieutenant and Psylocke and her sparring partner from earlier, Shuuhei Hisagi. They too stop just outside and the seventh captain speaks in a deep yet calm voice.

**Komamura:** 'Lieutenant Iba; wait here until further word. I am curious as to what these humans have to offer us as far as battle strategies are concerned.'

**Tetsuzaemon:** 'Yes sir. Hisagi-san; take good notes and try not to get distracted by that woman.'

Caught breath and Psylocke's giggle is what the mutant hears before Sajin Komamura and Shuuhei Hisagi enter the room followed by his telepathic teammate. Wolverine thinks to Psylocke; _looks like ya might have that fella wrapped 'round_ _yer finger darlin'._ Betsy's acknowledgement comes in the form of a smile and a thought. _It's going good Logan; we'll see where it goes from 'ere. _She takes up her place between Wolverine and Dr. Strange. Suddenly the whole place shakes as if there was an earthquake and they hear a tremendous noise from outside! Byakuya and the large fox are the first to respond as they open the doors to a huge cloud of dust. Shortly the dust clears and walking out of a newly formed crater is the jade giant! Seconds later Kenpachi Zaraki touches down next to the behemoth with a grin on his face.

**Kenpachi:** 'Ya only beat me 'cause ya got a head start Hulk!'

**Hulk:** You keep makin' excuses and people are gonna start questionin' your toughness.'

**Kenpachi:** 'I don't care 'bout anybody else big green, and ya already know how tough I am.'

With Captain Kuchiki still in the doorway, Hulk deliberately ignores him as he crosses the threshold, brushing the smaller man's shoulder. Byakuya closes his eyes and smirks slightly as Zaraki also moves past the other captain.

**Wolverine:** 'It looks like ya made a friend bub; good fer ya.'

**Hulk:** 'More like a little brother that won't leave me alone. You should meet him; he'd like you too.'

**Wolverine:** 'Nah, he looks a little too wild fer my tastes.'

With the excitement quelled for the time being, the soul reapers go back to waiting for the others to arrive. Captain Kurotsuchi is the next to arrive and Dr. Strange acknowledges the twelfth captain with a nod of his head which the scientist waves off dismissively. Thor and the captain of the tenth squad, Toshiro Hitsugaya, arrive shortly after and they part ways as Thor stands on the other side of the sorcerer supreme. The boy with the white hair goes and stands between the seventh and sixth squad captains. Wolverine can hear Toshiro's lieutenant, Matsumoto talking with the other subordinates outside.

**Rangiku:** 'I wanna know what's going on! My captain never shares anything with me; he's so withdrawn all the time. At least he's got Thor hanging around him.'

**Renji:** 'It's better than always being told to "be quiet; don't let your emotions show" or "I'm going to handle this alone; I do not require a mere human's help." I like these humans too; they're a little different than Ichigo and his friends but I like that guy Wolverine.'

**Rangiku:** 'Ooh, I know! After all this is over, we should get together and drink!'

**Tetsuzaemon:** 'You always wanna drink for no reason, Matsumoto-san; but I do agree that these humans aren't bad to be around. I mean, from what I've seen, that purple-haired woman even has Hisagi-san comin' out of his shell.'

Just then one more set of footsteps can be heard, and more greetings.

**Rangiku:** 'Kira-kun!'

**Renji:** 'Hey Kira; how's it feel to be attending a captain's meeting?'

**Izuru:** 'Hey guys. I'm sure it won't be anything special; I'm still a lieutenant after all.'

**Renji:** 'You're too hard on yourself Kira. Hey since you're an acting captain, you should request to train with Captain Kuchiki and I, since you already have a little experience with Thor. If I now my captain, he won't want to have any help from the "humans".'

**Izuru:** 'If it comes up, I will Abarai-kun.'

With that, the blonde soul reaper enters the room and takes up a position next to the tattooed lieutenant. The first squad captain looks up at his gathered allies and begins to speak.

**Yamamoto:** 'Thanks to Dr. Strange and Captain Kurotsuchi we now have the means to beat this persistent nuisance. Due to the nature this threat, we have to put our personal pride aside and fight as a whole to destroy Thanos. Mayuri; explain to us how we will train against the alien.'

**Mayuri:** 'I'm sure you all remember Ichigo Kurosaki don't you? He obtained the use of his Bankai through an especially dangerous method using a device created by that traitor Urahara. You will be using a modified version of that invention to fight a very real, if not deadly, Thanos. Each of these humans has memories of the threat and they will use those memories to power the device.'

**Kenpachi:** 'All ya gotta do is point me in the right direction; I'm dyin' ta cut loose!'

**Yamamoto:** 'Be patient Zaraki; we all want our chance at the defiler. This creature will be sent back to his dimension in pieces when I'm through with it.'

Kyoraku nudges Wolverine's arm.

**Shunsui:** 'Yama-Jii is getting really worked up. I hope your Thanos is worth his energy.'

**Wolverine:** 'He ain't my Thanos bub; but yeah he's a pretty rough customer, don't worry.'

**Yamamoto:** 'Before we deal with the real thing, we have to break off into groups since Kurotsuchi and Dr. Strange only have seven of the Tenshintai available. The captain-less squads will be paired with a squad that has leadership. Dr. Strange, since you are the appointed diplomat of your group, you should partner with my squad. I in turn will personally head up the fifth squad as well. Who will pair with the remaining vacant squads?'

**Komamura:** 'Squad seven will pair with Lieutenant Hisagi and his squad. We will also be teaming with Psylocke.'

Betsy notices a slight smile on Shuuhei's face as his friend says her name and Logan on the other hand, hears the soul reaper's heartbeat quicken just a bit.

**Yamamoto:** 'That leaves the third squad. Lieutenant Izuru; do you have a squad to pair with?'

**Izuru:** 'Sir, if it would be alright with Captain Kuchiki, I would like to team with the sixth squad.'

**Yamamoto:** 'Byakuya; is this pairing acceptable?'

**Byakuya:** '… I have no objections to your request Izuru-san. We, however, will not be requiring assistance from the humans.'

Soi Fon interjects at the sudden pause from Kuchiki's statement.

**Soi Fon:** 'Head-captain; the second squad will not require help either from the humans. As a stealth force, we rely on our own strength to come out victorious.'

Captain Yamamoto opens his eyes as the two captains stand firm against outside help.

**Yamamoto:** 'Mmm. Very well you two; your requests will be honored. That leaves a few more pairings; who will join forces?'

**Jushiro:** 'I will join with Kyoraku-kun's squad.'

**Shunsui:** 'And we'll take Logan-san as our ally.'

**Kenpachi:** 'I don't want big green over there to cry if he gets picked last, so I'll take him.'

**Hulk:** 'Yeah right; you just want the best chance to beat Thanos.'

**Toshiro:** 'The god of thunder and I have an understanding. Will you train with us?'

**Thor:** 'Aye.'

Dr. Strange steps up and gestures with his hands. The pocket dimension that was holding the devices opens to him and the seven Tenshintai materialize before the gathered forces. He gives one to each of the heroes so that they can transfer their memories into the humanoid devices.

**Dr. Strange:** 'When we get to the battle grounds is when I suggest transferring your memories. The way I understand it is that there is no off switch once the device has been empowered. The only way to shut it down is to destroy it.'

**Yamamoto:** 'We will go to the nearly unused training grounds of a thousand years ago. It is still inside Sei Rei Tei and within the border of the magician's barrier. The area is surrounded by Seki Seki rock so feel free to go all out. You won't destroy anything beyond the grounds.'


	11. Memories

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Memories  
**

With that the heroes and soul reapers disperse from the meeting room and head out of the first squad's barracks. The twelfth squad captain stops Dr. Strange before he leaves with the others.

**Mayuri:** 'I'm heading back to my lab to monitor everyone's battle data. When you get back, we'll see well you did and discuss strategies for the real fight.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Very good Kurotsuchi, I'll leave it to you then.'

As the scientist departs, Byakuya walks approaches Stephen from behind.

**Byakuya:** 'If you hand over my Tenshintai, I will be on my way.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I need to power up the device first captain; besides, I do not think that you would want any version of Thanos running around here unchecked.'

**Byakuya:** 'Very well. I'm heading out; try to keep up so I do not have to wait long.'

As he finishes his sentence, the raven-haired soul reaper vanishes before the mystic's eyes. Dr. Strange smiles slightly at the proposed challenge and closes his eyes as he too vanishes.

Psylocke is walking next to Shuuhei, Captain Komamura and his lieutenant, Tetsuzaemon Iba. She didn't say anything earlier but she doesn't personally have too many memories or experiences with the titan. Without losing a step or causing attention to herself, she simply pulls the collective memories out of her companion's minds using her telepathy. As she finishes, the seventh squad lieutenant turns to her while walking and starts a conversation.

**Iba:** 'Y'know, it's too bad you don't know shunpo girl, we could probably be half way there by now.'

**Shuuhei:** 'Iba-san; she may look Japanese, but she's British. Plus, try not to be so rude to someone who is new to our world.'

**Psylocke:** 'Thank you Shuu'ei, that's sweet, but I'm used to people judging me by my appearance alone. Besides, I don't think 'e's trying to be mean, 'e's just jealous that you are 'appy and 'e wants to try and get a reaction you. Isn't that right Mr. Iba?'

Iba: 'What? I-I don't know what you're talkin' about. I was just sayin' it's too bad you don't know how to flash step is all!'

Psylocke looks confidently over at the soul reaper with the sun glasses and thinks; _did Shuu'ei not tell you that I can read other people's thoughts? 'Ow unfortunate for you that you 'ave to find out this way; it must be embarrassing. _His mouth goes slack and his glasses drop to the bridge of his nose in surprise.

**Iba:** 'That is a weird power woman! Just forget I said anything ok?'

**Psylocke:** 'Actually, to add to what you said earlier, I 'ave been feeling a bit different since coming 'ere. It's almost as if I can feel my surroundings; I don't know 'ow to explain it properly. The atmosphere is thicker; almost touchable.'

**Komamura:** 'So you have become aware of the spiritual energy that makes up soul society? That is very fortunate indeed; keep practicing to tune into this energy. It will only help you while you are here.'

Psylocke nods and looks over at Shuuhei who is looking at her with an impressed grin on his face. Betsy laughs inwardly; _it seems like you approve of my new found awareness, Shuu'ei; there's no telling what I'll be able to learn while I'm 'ere._ The tattooed soul reaper thinks back; _I'm curious to find that out as well._

Logan, Shunsui and Jushiro walk along towards the outskirts of Sei Rei Tei. Wolverine has been stuck with the duties of carrying the human sized contraption due to, what he deems excuses, by both men. The eighth captain said something along the lines of wanting to save his strength for practice and the thirteenth captain said that it would be good for Logan to carry it to show his respect for his elders. The mutant thinks to himself; _'elders' my ass._

The boy-captain of squad ten, his curvaceous lieutenant and the god of thunder take a different way to the training grounds than the others. Thor carries the Tenshintai as if it was made of feathers; and since he can lift well over 100 tons, it may seem to him that it, in fact, weighs nothing!

**Rangiku:** 'I can't get over how big your muscles are Thor! Most of the men here have hardly any mass at all; unless it's an unattractive sort of mass, but you got the goods!'

**Thor:** 'Yon compliments do flatter me, Rangiku; and yon beauty by comparison rivals the very Valkyries of Asgard!

**Toshiro:** 'Would you two please be quiet for a few minutes? I think it's clear that you, Matsumoto, like Thor; and Thor you're doing your best to placate her but its getting tiresome! We have a job to do so I suggest we focus on the task at hand and then later you can ogle each other all you want.'

The white-haired captain ends his chastising of the two with a frustrated sigh and then folds his arms into his sleeves. Rangiku looks over at Thor and shrugs and Odin's Son smiles at the female heartily as they continue on their way.

Hulk and Kenpachi head out as soon as the head-captain says they can go all out while combating the pseudo-Thanos. They travel for a bit when Zaraki stops and looks back the way they came.

**Hulk:** 'What's up Zaraki, lose somethin'?'

**Kenpachi:** 'No; I just think that Madarame and Ayasegawa would get upset if they missed out on a battle; even if it's just trainin'. Hey Yachiru, go get my third and fifth seats OK?'

His pink-haired lieutenant pops up over his shoulder smiling.

**Yachiru:** 'Sure thing Kenny!'

The little soul reaper leaps from her captain's shoulder and in an instant is gone. The two begin to walk again when Hulk makes a comment;

**Hulk:** 'We're not gonna wait for them? That lieutenant of yours isn't very good with directions.'

**Kenpachi:** 'I wouldn't worry 'bout it too much. Ikkaku's pretty good at detectin' my spiritual pressure so they'll find us, no problem.'

**Hulk:** 'Sounds good to me.'

They continue to walk towards the training grounds as the jade giant casually tosses the Tenshintai into the air as if someone were to repeatedly toss a baseball into the air and catch it. The captain just smirks and shakes his head at the weird creature next to him.

The sorcerer supreme steps out of a bordering dimension and comes out in front of a shocked Soi Fon and a, once again human, Yoruichi.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Forgive my sudden appearance ladies; I hope I did not startle you.'

**Yoruichi:** 'Oh, Don't worry about it; right Soi?'

The captain of squad two recovers quickly at the mention of her name.

**Soi Fon:** 'You did not startle us; I was just curious how you found us so quickly.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I know where every single soul reaper in this world is right now; captain or otherwise.'

With that simple phrase both the captain and Yoruichi are completely stunned!

**Soi Fon/Yoruichi:** '"Every soul reaper"?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'That is correct; ever since coming to this world I have been able to see and detect everyone's unique spirit aura and then, in turn, track its location with but a thought. That is how I found you two.'

**Yoruichi:** 'Quite impressive, Dr. Strange!'

**Soi Fon:** 'Not even Head-Captain Yamamoto can sense every soul reaper's location!'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I believe it is very unique indeed; I would theorize that it has to do with this unique world being composed entirely out of spirit energy, not unlike my spirit plane where I come from. Forgive me though; I came here to bring you your Tenshintai. I respect your desire to train without our assistance but please do not take this simulation lightly. I assure you that Thanos' power is something you have never faced before.'

**Yoruichi:** 'We appreciate your concern, doctor but Soi and I know how to handle ourselves.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Very well then ladies; I shall leave you to it.'

He sets the device on the ground so it is standing upright. In its base form the Tenshintai is unimposing and a plain, featureless construct. Dr. Strange puts his right hand on the objects 'shoulder' and closes his eyes as he focuses his mind on his battles past with the mad titan. As the images flood his mind, he feels the device start to activate and pull the memories from the mind, through his arm and into itself. He opens his eyes to a spitting image of the 6'8" conqueror! He steps back, momentarily startled by the realism of the construct. As the titan's glowing red eyes slowly open, Dr. strange speaks to the two females.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Good luck.'

With that, Dr. Strange teleports to where Byakuya, Renji and Kira are waiting with a few lower ranking soul reapers. The captain of the sixth squad looks up from his position slightly amused it would seem that the mystic found his location so easily. Stephen floats over to where the three soul reapers are and pulls their training vessel out of the pocket dimension.

**Byakuya:** 'Did you get lost? I have been here for a while waiting on you.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'No, I was powering up Soi Fon's device; I believe that ladies should come first, do you not agree?'

Byakuya closes his eyes and Stephen can see the hint of a smile form on the captain's face.

**Byakuya:** 'We are ready when you are doctor.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Very well; though I will tell you what I had told the second captain; do not take this training lightly. Thanos is one of my universe's most powerful foes and he learns very quickly.'

**Byakuya:** 'Your concerns are noted; now let us begin.'

As he did with the other device, he sets it upright and pours his memories into it; shortly after the terrible Thanos is born again. Before departing this time the magician sees the titan slowly turn to face the soul reapers and hears his bone-chilling laugh!

**Editor's note: Can you imagine how these fights are going to go? Sorry for this chapter being so much shorter than what you're used to, but the coming chapters will be hopefully to your liking! Happy Reading!**

_**Disclaimer: Oh and by the way, I should have made note of this earlier, but I do not, in any way, own these characters. They are the property of their respective creators. Wolverine, Psylocke, Thor, Hulk, Dr. Strange and Thanos belong to Marvel Comics and the Bleach universe belongs to Tite Kubo. I highly respect their works and I hope I do their characters justice.**_


	12. Danger

**Wolverine: Practice**

**Danger  
**

Wolverine is led by his companions Jushiro Ukitake and Shunsui Kyoraku to the massive training grounds of soul society. The two captains stop a few yards ahead of Logan and turn to face the mutant. Wolverine sits down the Tenshintai and as he props it up he leans against it, resting his elbow on the device's shoulder. The short man looks around at his surroundings and sees a vast stretch of land that goes on for miles and miles! He lets out a low whistle; impressed with what he sees.

**Wolverine:** 'Kinda nice place ya got here fellas. So what's this "Seki Seki" rock Yamamoto was goin' on about?'

**Ukitake:** 'It is a stone that neutralizes spiritual energy and is extremely resilient. Here; I think it is better I show you what it does instead of telling you.'

As Wolverine and Kyoraku look on, the captain of the thirteenth squad holds out his hand and points it at a piece of rock jutting out of the ground twenty-five yards away.

**Ukitake:** 'Hado number 4: Byakurai.'

Suddenly, lightning shoots from his fingers and strikes the rock. Logan, expecting to see the rock explode in a cloud of dust and debris, instead witnesses the rock absorb the energy! Jushiro lowers his hand and turns to the shorter man.

**Wolverine:** 'What was that just now; "way of destruction", "white lightning"? I didn't know ya could shoot lightning out of yer hand bub.'

The white-haired soul reaper smiles sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck.

**Shunsui:** 'It's called kidou and a lot of soul reapers can do it Logan. Normally there's an incantation that needs to be said before you can use a skill but us captains are pretty good at it.

**Wolverine:** '"Demon arts"; it's like the magick Dr. Strange uses. I'm a hands on type o' guy myself, but hey, if it helps I'm all for it.'

**Ukitake:** 'It will definitely help against a foe like Thanos I think. Well, let's see what your memories and experience of Thanos looks like Logan-san.'

**Wolverine:** 'Alright fellas; I wasn't really given any directions on how ta use this thing but I'll give it try.'

He positions the Tenshintai in front of his body and puts his hands on the objects shoulders. He thinks about his battles with the mad titan and shudders inwardly. _The guy's a beast; alright, here goes nothin'. _He exhales and closes his eyes as the device takes form and grows before the gathered men. Wolverine opens his eyes just in time to see a huge golden hued gloved fist aiming for his head!

**Wolverine:** 'Damn!'

He dodges the assault by back flipping out of the alien's reach and landing in a crouched fighting stance near the two captains. The soul reapers stand amazed at the sight of the mad titan who stands menacingly a few yards away. He is large and has a strong jaw with inset glowing red eyes. His skin is of a purple hue and his eyebrows are covered with pointy gold guards and he wears a skull-fitting hood that also has gold ear guards. Set upon his shoulders and covering his massive chest is golden armor that comes to points over the shoulders. Covering his hands and feet are large weighted gloves and boots that are also gold in color. The color of his costume is blue and skin tight over his muscled body. Thanos looks at the short mutant and the two men that are on either side of him and smiles sadistically. The manifested memory of Thanos speaks;

**Thanos:** 'If it is not the X-Men's Wolverine; who are your friends? Do they know they are about to die?'

With that he raises his hand and fires off a blast of green energy that crackles as it meets the air! The two captains, surprised by the amount of power that the titan wields, flash step away to a safe distance to try and assess their adversary. Wolverine dodges by rolling out of the way and when his feet once again hit the ground he charges the nihilist with a roar while unsheathing his claws! As he engages the much large villain, he hears the two captains talking.

**Ukitake:** 'We need to help our new friend out with defeating this man!'

**Shunsui:** 'He looks like he's doing fine, doesn't he Jushiro? Let's give him a minute to see how he fares.'

Shunsui's long time friend looks at him with a determined look and then glances over to see how their new comrade is fairing. For the most part Logan has been able to avoid major damage and the damage he has received has already healed or is healing. He dodges another blast of energy and leaps up to slash at his opponent's face only to have his arm burned by red energy that is shot from Thanos's eyes! Logan lets out a growl of pain and anger and then counters with his left fist but this attack is halted by Thanos's large hand, blocking the strike. The titan then punches Wolverine hard in the face with a glowing fist, sending him through the air fifteen yards! He gets to one knee and spits blood from his mouth as he looks at his opponent.

**Wolverine:** 'Damn, even my memory of him is strong. Ya two done gossipin' like a couple 'o school girls or are ya just gonna stand there an' let me have all the fun?'

**Shunsui:** 'I like to see how my opponent fights before I get involved.'

**Ukitake:** 'This is a training exercise Shunsui; let's see how we fare against such a strong creature.'

**Shunsui:** 'Couldn't we just ask Thanos to leave? Katen Kyokotsu doesn't really want to fight right now.'

The titan turns to the two beings in white coats and sneers at them.

**Thanos:** 'As you can see that mutant is powerless to stop me alone. What can you possibly offer in way of strength?'

**Ukitake:** 'I will fight you, monster.'

He draws his zanbakutou as he disappears to then reappear in front of his much larger adversary. Thanos catches the blade and tries to grab Jushiro as well but the white-haired captain flash steps away before his gloved hand can reach him. The titan turns and fires a blast of energy at Ukitake and the captain outstretches his hand and says;

**Ukitake:** 'Shakkaho!'

A ball of red energy meets the green blast in mid-air and the area between the two is instantly engulfed in flames and smoke! Suddenly the smoke is cut away by Thanos's eye beams and the thirteenth captain is almost taken completely by surprise!

**Ukitake:** 'Bakudo number 81: Danku—ungh!'

As Jushiro finishes the incantation Wolverine slams into him to protect him from the attack from Thanos! The assault never reaches the two men however, due to a clear rectangular barrier that is smoking and very much cracked from the energy that just rocketed into it.

**Ukitake:** 'Were you going to use your own body as a shield to protect me Logan-san?'

**Wolverine:** 'That was the idea, yeah. What the hell is that thing?'

**Ukitake:** 'It's another form of kidou called "way of binding". This spell can block high level kidou and I had a theory that it would work on Thanos's energy as well. It held, but barely.'

**Wolverine:** 'Well come on; even though this is just practice, this guy seems ta be playin' fer keeps!'

**Ukitake:** 'You're right Logan-san, let us end this.'

Just then the captain of the eighth squad appears next to them and chimes in.

**Shunsui:** 'Not finished yet? Oh man; well Kurotsuchi did say he was monitoring us, so I guess we should try and take this serious.'

**Wolverine:** 'Ya mean ta tell me ya think this is a game? I can promise ya bub, Thanos is the real deal and even if this is just a mock-up of him, ya shouldn't be so calm.'

Thanos has seemingly been patient with the three, letting them talk amongst themselves for a time, but now he has turned to face the trifecta.

**Thanos:** 'You three; I have grown tired of your presence. Face me one by one or all together, it makes no difference to me how you will meet your end.'

When he finishes his challenge, he clenches his fists and they start to glow and the atmosphere around them crackles with energy. Shunsui draws his katana and wakizashi simultaneously and rushes the alien! As he closes in on Thanos, the titan glares at the soul reaper and all of a sudden Kyoraku drops to his knees holding his head!

**Ukitake:** 'Shunsui!'

**Wolverine:** 'Thanos must've hit 'em with a psionic blast! I told ya he's one scary S. O. B.'

As Thanos prepares to let loose his cosmic energy on the immobile captain, Jushiro moves in front of his friend and holds his zanbakutou in both hands.

**Ukitake:** 'All waves rise now and become my shield; lightning, strike now and become my sword, Sogyo no Kotowari!'

Suddenly his single katana splits into two separate swords! Attached at the base of each hilt is a thick long red cord that has five silver charms that hang from it. The swords are slightly thinner than normal katana and they have an extra blade that extends backwards towards the hand. Thanos smiles at the defender of his victim.

**Thanos:** 'Fool.'

He releases his stored energy directly at Jushiro and Shunsui and as the force reaches Sogyo no Kotowari it vanishes and instantly the captain of the thirteenth squad fires the exact same energy back at Thanos with much stronger force and velocity!

**Thanos:** 'What?'

He barely gets his hands up to block the onslaught and the energy strikes him hard and the resulting explosion sends him flying back several yards! With Thanos's concentration broken, Kyoraku is free from the telepathic assault. He stands up rubbing his temple and with the back of his hand, wipes a drop of blood from his nose.

**Shunsui:** 'I gotta be more careful.'

**Ukitake:** 'Are you alright?'

**Wolverine:** 'Now ya see why ya can't go easy on him? Ta hell with yer pride and let's kick this guy's ass.'

**Shunsui:** 'Why do we have to fight such a strong opponent?'

As the smoke and debris clears from where Thanos landed the three can see him emerging from the rubble. Other than his arms smoking and the air smelling like ozone, he is otherwise unscathed.

**Thanos:** 'You can not win, mortals; I am your fate!'

Shunsui faces the seemingly invulnerable opponent and puts his two sword together in a cross position.

**Shunsui:** 'Flower wind rage and flower god roar, heavenly wind rage and heavenly demon sneer, Katen Kyokotsu!'

As he says this he drags the sword pair across each other and instantly is concealed in wind and energy! As the energy dissipates, Shunsui now holds two large Chinese scimitars; one slightly shorter than the other, just like his original swords were. Attached to both hilts are long blood-red tassels that blow in the wind. He looks over at the advancing alien and smiles.

**Wolverine:** 'Ya coulda just started out with kinda power guys. It woulda made this a hell of a lot easier.'

**Shunsui:** 'He's so grouchy, Jushiro; I think I liked him better when we were drinkin'.'

**Thanos:** 'So, you think that just because your swords have change in shape and size that you can now contend with my power? You are but insects compared to my might!'

He points to Jushiro and speaks.

**Thanos:** 'Do not think that I do not know what you did with your swords. Your left sword siphoned my attack and then redirected it out of your right one. But that's not all is it? My blast was meant to hurt your ally, but when it struck me I felt much more intensity then I had given it. You can strengthen and redirect an attack; I may just keep you around to learn your technique before killing you.'

The soul reapers look at each other then to Logan who just shrugs and has a look as if "I told ya so". Shunsui steps a few feet to the side and spins his swords in opposite directions and as he does so, gale force winds form from his blades and encircle Thanos!

**Shunsui:** 'Bushogoma.'

**Ukitake:** 'Hado number 11: Tsuzuri Raiden.'

As he says this, electricity engulfs his swords and he rushes the nihilist! Just as Jushiro gets within striking distance of Thanos the wind that was swirling around him dissipates and the captain comes down hard with both swords slashing at Thanos's torso! The electricity courses through the body of the titan but it doesn't seem to have as much effect on him. The white-haired captain does manage to slice through his chest armor and cut into the mad titan's muscled body, spilling blood. Enraged, he punches the soul reaper away only to be met by Wolverine, and this time the feral mutant strikes home with two well placed strikes from his claws into Thanos's bicep! With his free hand, the titan blasts Logan away from him with another dose of high energy plasma. He looks around for the other man but can't find him. Out of the corner of his eye he spots the hatted soul reaper below him! He turns to see how that's possible and as he does, he is run through the mid-section with one of Shunsui's scimitars! Thanos looks down at the bleeding wound and then back at the soul reaper who is emerging from Thanos's very shadow!

**Shunsui:** 'Kageoni.'

**Ukitake:** 'Bakudo number 61: Rikujokoro.'

Before Thanos can react to the attack by Shunsui, six bright lights slam into his mid-section, paralyzing the titan where he stands! Bleeding from his chest, stomach, and bicep, Thanos speaks;

**Thanos:** 'This can not defeat me! I have destroyed countless universes and yours will be crushed under my foot as well—'

The replica of Thanos convulses and in a fizzle of energy reverts back to the Tenshintai! Shunsui adjusts his straw hat and pulls one half of Katen Kyokotsu out of the device. He powers down his swords and sheaths them once again. Ukitake does the same and his two swords once again form into one. Wolverine wipes his mouth and dusts off his hands.

**Wolverine:** 'Any questions?'

**Shunsui:** 'Well we beat him; I wonder how the others are fairing.'

**Ukitake:** 'We did not beat him cleanly I'm afraid. I have a feeling the real thing is goin to be even more troublesome.'

**Shunsui:** 'We can't worry about it now; let's head back and see what the results look like.'

**Wolverine:** 'Ya can count on the real thing bein' tougher. He's a genius and a master strategist; I wouldn't put it past him if he knew what we were doin' right now. But yer right, let's head back an' see how we did; maybe that freak of a scientist can cook up a way ta beat this guy.'

They slowly walk back the way they had come to report back to the others and captain Kurotsuchi. The three walk in silence and think over their mock battle. Even though they defeated the device, all three sustained what could have been life-threatening injuries if this trial had been the real thing. That does not sit well with any of them and they now have new resolve about their opponent.

**Editor's note: Sorry this chapter is so late, I've been kind of busy but I have plenty more story to come so stay tuned! Thanos is a real mother lol, and again, I hope I do these characters justice. Let me know what you think. Happy reading!**


	13. Persistence

**Thor: Practice  
**

**Persistence **

Thor, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto continue to walk towards the ancient training grounds of years past when the god of thunder stops and looks down at the young captain.

**Thor:** 'Captain Hitsugaya; Odin's Son is eager for battle. I wilt scout ahead for yon practice grounds.'

**Toshiro:** 'If you wish; Matsumoto and I will meet you there.'

**Thor:** 'Tis settled then.'

He nods his head at the two and while holding onto the strap of Mjllonir, he throws the hammer into the air and takes flight. As he carries the Tenshintai, he looks down at his companions and sees them use flash step and they are vanish. He flies onward until he sees a vast stretch of land that looks like it has been fought on countless times. He feels that this is the place and when he starts to alter his course he spots Toshiro and his lieutenant reappear below him. He touches down next to the pair of soul reapers and Rangiku smiles at him.

**Toshiro:** 'This is where we will be training; Thor, what should we know about Thanos before we start?'

**Thor:** 'That he be a worthy adversary young captain; the villain can match mine strength and he hath cunning as well. Ne'er give him quarter and be ever vigilant!'

**Rangiku:** 'He sounds like a tough customer; but with you and my captain, he should be no trouble.'

**Toshiro:** 'You're fighting too Matsumoto; don't think for one minute that you're going to be able to relax.'

**Rangiku:** 'But captain!'

She wines and pouts a little before becoming focused again. Thor takes the device from under his arm and sets it upright on the ground in front of him.

**Thor:** 'Stephen left nigh instructions for this artifact; he said mine memories of the beast would suffice. Doth thou be ready mine friends?'

The two soul reapers nod in unison and Thor focuses his thoughts and memories of Thanos into the device. Within seconds the once blank canvas morphs into Thanos. Thor immediately takes his great hammer and smashes the alien hard in the face! The force of the blow sends the newly formed overmaster through the air and into the ground, causing a large trench to be made in his wake! Thor readies himself to follow up on the assault when he feels Hitsugaya's cold but strong hand on his arm. The blonde god looks down, taken aback by the halt of his attack, and speaks to the boy-captain.

**Thor:** 'Did thou not heed mine words? He needs not to be given mercy!'

**Toshiro:** 'We need to access his abilities Thor, and if you defeat him before we can find out what he can do, then what is the point of this exercise?'

Thor calms down slightly and turns to face the white-haired soul reaper.

**Thor:** 'Trust this captain; e'en one strike by Mjllonir would not be able to defeat Thanos. Lay eyes on his position now; he stirs under the dust.'

The captain and his lieutenant look to where Thor sent the titan and they see him stirring. Through the dust Thanos's eyes glow red with anger. Without yet emerging from the rubble, he speaks to his attacker.

**Thanos:** 'Ah Thor, how persistently annoying you can be. Where is your ridiculous Asgardian armor, god of thunder? I would feel terrible if I killed you when you were not at full strength.'

**Thor:** 'I assure thee, monster, Odin's Son tis at full strength.'

He points his hammer at Thanos and a huge bolt of lightning shoots out from the mystical metal! The memory blocks the bolt with his forearms and then cancels the energy with his own cosmic blast!

**Toshiro:** 'I never knew this kind of power existed outside of the spirit world! Matsumoto, be on guard; this being, even though it is a facsimile, is not to be taken lightly.'

**Rangiku:** 'I got it captain.'

She draws her zanbakutou and stands ready as her captain mimics her actions and stands ready as well. Before Thanos can take the offensive, Thor rushes him and hits him devastatingly hard in the stomach with Mjllonir! He follows the strike up with a powerful left hook to the titan's jaw. The blows sound like thunder ripping the heavens as the soul reapers look on. Thor tries to continue the offensive onslaught with another strike of his hammer but Thanos grabs the head with his right hand and fires off a blast of cosmic energy point blank into Thor's chest! The god of thunder flies backwards over the heads of his companions and Thanos grins menacingly at the two shocked soul reapers. Rangiku steals a glance at the slow rising god with concern on her face as the captain of squad ten brings her back to the fight.

**Toshiro:** 'I fought him personally Matsumoto; he'll be fine. Thanos is our opponent and you have to focus.'

**Rangiku:** 'Right.'

Matsumoto braces her feet as she launches herself at the armored villain! As she closes in on her target she flash steps behind him and narrowly evades a blast of energy that he fires from his eyes! She strikes his armored hide with Haineko and she's amazed that her attack does very little damage!

**Rangiku:** 'What?'

**Thanos:** 'Woman; your tiny sword can not pierce my armor. You are wasting your time with this endeavor.'

Before the Eternal can retaliate against her attempted assault, he hears the boy speak.

**Toshiro:** 'Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyourinmaru!'

Thanos ignores the call and attempts to back hand the female soul reaper away, when suddenly a long cold chain and crescent blade wraps around his arm, halting the assault. Instantly the titan's arm is engulfed in thick ice up to his bicep!

**Thanos:** 'What is this?'

Instead of taking the child head on, the alien uses the chain which is attached to the hilt of Hitsugaya's sword, and flings the white-haired soul reaper into the air and over his shoulder! The captain uses his spiritual pressure to halt his ascent fifty yards away and raises his sword above his head. As he brings the weapon down in a slash, a large ice dragon forms from the tip and heads straight towards Thanos!

**Thanos:** 'Insolent whelp.'

He raises his hands and fires off a double blast of green energy at the oncoming dragon. Smoke and mist consumes the area between the two combatants as the cosmic force destroys the attack of Hitsugaya! Suddenly Thor's hammer strikes Thanos hard at the base of his neck, sending the Eternal to his knees! After being saved by her captain's Shikai release, Rangiku moves a few yards away from the being's huge reach. The lieutenant then places her hand on her zanbakutou, near the cat's head-shaped cross guard, and pulls down toward the tip.

**Rangiku:** 'Growl, Haineko! '

Instantly the entire blade glows white and turns to ash, and all that remains is the hilt and cross guard, which she uses to control the mass of miniature blades. As Thanos starts to regain his footing, she spreads the ash out like a fine mist over the area. She then holds out her free hand, pointing it at the recovering titan.

**Rangiku:** 'I command thee! Mask of meat, all creation flutter, those that bare the name of man! Truth and temperance merely stand a claw against the wall of the faultless dream! Hado number 33: Sohkatsui!'

A blue wave of energy emits from her hand and heads for Thanos! Matsumoto flash steps around him and starts another incantation before the blue energy strikes her target.

**Rangiku:** 'Ye lord, mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bares the name of man. Inferno and Pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march onto the South! Hado number 31: Shakkaho!'

The blue wave of energy that the lieutenant fired off first connects with Thanos, engulfing him completely! As she finishes her second incantation, a red ball of energy shoots out of her palm and strikes the Eternal from the opposite angle, exploding on contact! She fluidly commands Haineko to surround Thanos in a bubble of ash, maximizing the damage both kidou spells inflict on her adversary! Breathing heavily, the female soul reaper wipes her forehead and smiles at her work. Hitsugaya touches down next to his lieutenant showing a rare grin of approval. Thor joins the two and then points in the direction of the carnage.

**Thor:** 'Thy skill is admirable, yet our adversary still stirs.'

**Rangiku:** 'No way! What do we have to do to beat this thing?'

A muffled yell can be heard through Haineko's ash shield and suddenly Thanos destroys the barrier with an outburst of energy!

**Thanos:** 'You are but fools to think attacks like that will finish me.'

He points his fist at the Rangiku and fires off an enormous beam of concentrated cosmic energy! Thor instinctively steps in front of the seemingly deadly shot and lets Mjllonir absorb the force before it reaches the soul reaper.

**Rangiku:** 'Thanks handsome!'

**Thor:** 'Tis nothing. Captain; we can end this if we combine our mite. Art thou with me?'

**Toshiro:** 'I grow tired of his persistence; what should we do?'

**Thor:** 'Let loose Hyourinmaru upon him; freeze him to his very core!'

The soul reaper nods in agreement and slashes at the air once more. Again, a giant ice dragon emerges from the slice and connects with the titan's left leg and hip, freezing them instantly! He moves to another angle and repeats his attack, this time the ice freezes Thanos's other leg!

**Thanos:** 'Little boy, I can not be frozen; this ice does not phase me at all!'

Hitsugaya ignores the alien's words and positions himself at another angle to once again attack with Hyourinmaru. This time, the Eternal's whole left side up to his neck, is completely engulfed in thick ice! He stops his assault and looks up into the air to see Thor swinging his hammer around. The skies have gone black and thunder rumbles through the heavens. Suddenly Thor stops his hammer and a gigantic lightning bolt splits the skies and comes crashing down, hitting Thanos dead center in the chest! The resulting fallout is tremendous as ice and debris fly in every direction! Thor continues the assault however, by bringing his hammer down with earth-shattering force right into the side of Thanos's face! The momentum of the blow buries the titan deep into the ground, causing a tremor through their vicinity. Thor steps out of the crater and sheathes his smoking hammer. The three allies have barely time to catch their breath when they hear rubble shift inside of the hole that Thanos is buried in. They all look at the slowly emerging figure in joint disbelief. Thor frowns deeply, determination playing across his face. Hitsugaya grips Hyourinmaru tightly and frost seems to emanate from the sword. Rangiku stands there shocked as she can't believe what she's seeing. Slowly, a golden gloved hand, albeit smoking and charred, grasps the side of the crater.

**Thanos:** 'I will never be defeated! I will destroy you all—'

As with the Tenshintai Wolverine and the captains of the eighth and thirteenth squads faced, this one too finally powers down and reverts back to its base form. Toshiro lets out a sigh and powers down his zanbakutou. Haineko returns to Matsumoto's sheath and Thor puts away Mjllonir. They look at each other and smile.

**Rangiku:** 'Is that really how powerful that guy's gonna be? I don't know captain, I think I'm going to have to take a vacation to the human world and you can come get me when that guy's gone!'

She flips a strand of blonde hair out away from her face as she says this. The god of thunder looks at the beautiful soul reaper.

**Thor:** 'Thou fared well Rangiku; you hath much to be proud of this day. Those spells thou used, combined with yon Haineko was most impressive indeed, fair maiden.'

**Rangiku:** 'Oh, stop Thor, you'll make a girl blush!'

**Toshiro:** 'If you two are finished? We should head back and see what kind of data Kurotsuchi has gathered on this being. If this battle is any indication, I won't hesitate when we meet the real thing.'

**Rangiku:** 'That's my captain; always thinking ahead.'

**Toshiro:** 'Let's just go.'

The three once again walk the way they had come; none of them in much hurry to get back as they were to get here. Thor, as he did earlier, carries the smoking and charred Tenshinai under his arm.


	14. Relentless

**Psylocke: Practice  
**

**Relentless**

The three soul reapers and mutant female walk into an immense flat section of soul society that seemingly goes on for miles. Earlier, Captain Komamura had offered to carry the Tenshintai, and Betsy accepted the offer. The large fox carries it under his arm effortlessly as they come to a stop inside the large unused training grounds. Psylocke watches the captain as he sets the device on the ground and she uses her telekinesis to pick it up and move it to where she is standing. Hisagi, already being used to this display, doesn't react. His two companions, however, look curiously at her display.

**Komamura:** 'You have interesting talents Psylocke; what would that ability be?'

**Psylocke:** 'It's telekinesis captain; I can move and create things with the power of my mind.'

**Tetsuzaemon:** 'I'd watch out for that one captain; she's got some crazy powers!'

**Komamura:** 'I am sure her powers will help in defeating this evil we will soon face, Lieutenant Iba.'

**Shuuhei:** 'I apologize for Iba's rudeness Betsy; he doesn't realize that he may need your help one day.'

**Psylocke:** 'I really don't mind 'is comments; Wolverine is my teammate after all.'

**Tetsuzaemon:** 'That little hairy guy? He's a man's man I think!'

Betsy projects her thoughts to the lieutenant of the ninth squad. _Shuuhei, I think someone may 'ave a "man's crush" on Logan. _Hisagi smiles in his mind and thinks back; _Iba would completely deny anything of the sort, but it would definitely seem that he has a healthy respect for your friend. _With the conversation seemingly ended, Komamura folds his arms and looks down at the device that is in front of the female ninja.

**Komamura:** 'I feel it is time to unleash this monster from your memories Psylocke. The longer we stand here idle means more time for Thanos to wreak havoc upon soul society.'

**Psylocke:** ''Ere goes nothing.'

She places her hand on the device and closes her eyes as she opens her mind to the borrowed memories of her comrades. Betsy sees the many battles Thor has had with the tyrant; she feels the pain and struggle that transpired between the two. The mutant pulls experience from Logan's fights with him and she is witness to the sheer power Thanos possesses as she views his memories like a mental flipbook. She switches to the jade giant's past against the titan and views wars base on strength and brutality and then quickly switches Dr. Strange's view on the mad titan. This is the most intricate and in depth memory of their opponent yet, as Stephen battles the Eternal with his calculating mind and archaic prowess instead of pure strength. She allows the copied memories flow through her and into the strange device and suddenly she can feel a mind unlike any she has felt before! She instinctually back flips several times to avoid the large alien's reach. The copy looks up into the sky and slowly turns in a circle, surveying his new surroundings. He comes back to his point of origin and looks at the quintet gathered to oppose him. He smiles a ruthless smile and takes a step forward.

**Komamura:** 'That is far enough you monster; I will be your opponent!'

**Psylocke:** 'Wait! I don't think we should—'

Her warning is cut off as the large captain rushes past her, haori billowing behind him. She sees Thanos change his stance to better suit his charging adversary. Sajin connects with a right chop to Thanos's jaw then follows it up with a left uppercut to the titan's solar plexus! He goes in for one more heavy strike as the fox draws back his large armored fist and swings hard, aiming for the alien's face! The Eternal moves slightly and avoids the attempted powerful blow. He grabs the outstretched arm of the captain and throws him over his head, slamming the fox hard into the ground with devastating force!

**Tetsuzaemon:** 'Captain!'

Their ally lies buried in rubble as dust rises out of the hole that Sajin lies in. Thanos turns to the other three and sneers.

**Thanos:** 'One down.'

**Psylocke:** 'Bloody 'ell; 'e's extremely strong to be able to man-handle that large soul reaper!'

**Tetsuzaemon:** 'My captain ain't some lightweight either; he weighs over six hundred pounds!'

**Psylocke:** 'From what I gather lieutenant, Thanos is in our world's class 100 strength category. In comparison, your captain may as well be weightless!'

**Shuuhei:** 'What a monster.'

**Thanos:** 'A "monster" you say? Whelp, a monster to you I may be, but my fellow Eternals and I have been worshiped as gods for thousands of years.'

Shuuhei frowns at the titan's boastful words and nods in the seventh lieutenant's direction. The shaded man also nods as they team up to take on Thanos in unison. They draw their swords and charge the much larger foe. Through the din of battle, Psylocke can not hear Lieutenant Iba, but suddenly a rush of energy engulfs his zanbakutou and it changes into a large falchion-like blade! He swings his sword down hard against the mad titan who deflects the blade with the back of his gloved hand and kicks the soul reaper with enough force to send him flying back several yards. He turns his attention to the tattooed soul reaper and fires off a blast of cosmic energy. Hisagi flash steps and avoids the blast and he reappears on the side of Thanos by his arm, and as Betsy looks on, she hears her man of interest speak while quickly touching his foe's huge arm.

**Shuuhei:** 'Bakudo number 1: Restrain.'

Before the titan can react, his massive arms uncontrollably knot behind his back and he falls to one knee!

**Thanos:** 'What do you think you are doing boy?'

Hisagi doesn't answer; or rather his answer comes in the form of another kidou spell.

**Shuuhei:** 'Bakudo number 4: crawling rope.'

As Thanos attempts to stand and break his invisible bonds, yellow glowing rope appears out of nowhere and ensnares the large behemoth, trapping him even further! Shuuhei then stabs the subdued titan in the shoulder, under his golden armor, and speaks once again.

**Shuuhei:** 'Reap, Kaze—'

Before the lieutenant can finish the summons for Kazeshini, Thanos yells out and instantly breaks all of his bonds, striking Shuuhei and sending the soul reaper through the air twenty meters! Thanos looks down at his superficial wound and wipes the blood from his costume. Glaring, he looks up at the last remaining combatant, and rumbles;

**Thanos:** 'Three down.'

Psylocke steals a glance to where her friend has landed and notices him stirring. The lone mutant closes her eyes and breathes a sigh of relief before turning to face the Eternal. She frowns at the memory that she has manifested and focuses all of her energy into her right hand, forming a mental katana. He smiles wickedly back her, seemingly unfazed by her show of power. He calls out to her as he starts to walk towards her.

**Thanos:** 'Come little girl; show me how powerful your hate is.'

She starts to run towards him and forms a telekinetic shield to block a blast of energy from his eyes! The mutant flips over another blast of cosmic energy fired from his hand and comes within his reach. He takes a mighty swing at her head which she avoids, and slices at his mid-section, opening him up and spilling blood!

**Thanos:** 'Wench!'

He attempts to pulverize her with another punch but she narrowly avoids it by augmenting her natural reflexes with her telekinesis, slipping under his blow. She comes up inside of his reach as she forms her psychic knife; and with all of her might, plunges the totality of her mutant telepathy into his brain through his chin! She pauses that way for just a moment; letting her energy sink into the Eternal's nervous system. All of a sudden the mad titan looks down at the smaller woman and smiles again at her, perfectly unaffected by her onslaught!

**Psylocke:** 'O' no…'

Thanos quickly grabs her by the throat and lifts her roughly into the air. He brings her in close so her face is only inches away from his and speaks;

**Thanos:** 'Then there were none.'

She grimaces at the stench that emits from the maw of the Eternal as she sees his eyes start to glow red. As he is about to unleash his devastating eye-blasts on her at critically close range, the mutant telepath catches Shuuhei's mind just behind her captor. _You will not harm her!_

**Shuuhei:** 'Reap, Kazeshini!'

Twin sickle-like blades rip deep into Thanos's kidneys as Hisagi unleashes his Shikai on the unsuspecting Thanos! The monster drops his prey and turns to face his recovered adversary. When he does he sees the first opponent he dropped standing behind the tattooed soul reaper. Hisagi crouches and as he does, Komamura draws back his mighty fist and roars.

**Komamura:** 'Heavenly punishment!'

As the large captain brings his fist forward, seemingly out of nowhere, an enormous black armored hand reigns down onto Thanos's location! The area is instantly consumed in chaos as dust and debris and rock fly everywhere. Luckily, Psylocke recovered just in time and rolled out of the way; otherwise, she would have been struck by Sajin's attack as well. The giant disembodied hand moves away from the large crater that Thanos kneels in. With his costume ripped in several places, the titan looks up at the captain of the seventh squad.

**Thanos:** 'Very good, dog.'

He goes to stand up in the crater and as he does, Komamura growls;

**Komamura:** You will die where you stand!'

He draws his sword and slices at the air; at the same time he finishes his gesture, another giant hand comes down hard, mimicking the fox's attack. The humongous sword strikes Thanos with devastating force that again sends rock and debris flying in all directions! Sajin holds his sword in place and the puppet arm does the same as the dust and debris settles. Moments later, Thanos is revealed underneath the sword, bleeding heavily out of a large gash through his right shoulder! As he braces the sword with his right hand, he charges and fires off an energy blast out of his left hand directly at Komamura. The fox is surprised at the fact that his adversary can stand, let alone have the energy to go on the offensive. Before the captain can react however, the blast strikes him hard in the chest, sending him crashing into the ground! Weakened, but still able to stand and fight, Thanos exits his crater and walks menacingly towards the recovering soul reaper. Just then out of nowhere, Lieutenant Iba emerges and attacks the titan with his zanbakutou! The shaded soul reaper slashes at the Eternal's back and then comes across his leg, spilling blood in both places. The villain turns around and when he does, Psylocke notices that the great wound that the captain inflicted is now nearly healed!

**Psylocke:** 'What do we 'ave to do to beat this mad man?'

The mad titan once again engages the second soul reaper he faced earlier and punches Iba hard in the face with a glowing cosmic-powered fist, sending the man flying again and when he hits the ground this time, he doesn't get up. Psylocke focuses her mind and then unleashes a barrage of telekinetic projectiles at her foe! Staying a safe distance from the nihilist, she smashes him with a block of solid thought. She follows it up with two hammer-like objects forged from her mind to pummel her foe! With all of her might she wages a one woman war on the despot and everything she throws at only seems to slow him down. Sweating and breathing heavily from her exertion, she forms a giant battering ram and hurls it at her target. It catches the titan directly in the gut, sending him back thirty feet! She falls to one knee, nearly drained of energy and through blurred vision, she see the man rise! She once again hears Shuuhei's voice as he speaks out; this time from over head but behind the behemoth!

**Shuuhei:** 'Bakudo number 62: Hundred stepped rails!'

As he says this a glowing rod forms in his right hand and he lets it fly at the turning Thanos. Right before it reaches its mark, the rod breaks off into numerous smaller projectiles, striking Thanos all over his thick muscled body and slamming him into the ground! Before he lands, Hisagi uses more kidou on the prone titan.

**Shuuhei:** 'Bakudo number 63: Winding binding chain!'

Similar in look to what he had used before to restrain the beast, this new spell wraps Thanos in thick chains from his neck down! Thanos looks at the kidou user with a fuming hatred.

**Thanos:** You tried something like this before and it did nothing but buy you time. What do you hope to gain by prolonging the inevitable?'

Shuuhei says nothing as he flash steps to where Psylocke is and scoops her up in his bruised and bleeding arms and then speeds off to another location. Thanos follows his movements but then catches Komamura out of the corner of his eye and turns to the battered captain. The fox raises his gloved hand and points it at the downed titan.

**Komamura:** 'Bone of a straggling beast, spire, crimson crystal, disc of steal. When the wind shifts and the emptiness ceases, let the clash of lances resonate through the relinquished castle. Hado number 63: Raikoho!'

Instantly and brilliantly a massive wave of glowing yellow energy speeds towards the Eternal! The force slams into the villain with earth-shaking force, destroying the surrounding area and sending an enormous cloud into the air! Before the smoke clears Komamura unleashes his Shikai once more on the spot where Thanos lays. He brings down the giant's sword, tearing the area asunder once more in a devastating display of pure power! After a few quiet seconds he sheathes his zanbakutou and the wind slowly blows the smoke and dust away from the destroyed area. Lying in the thirty meter deep crater is the smoking Tenshintai; lifeless and unmoving. The fox closes his eyes and lets out a slow huff. Shuuhei and Psylocke flank his right side and his lieutenant appears on his left. Iba jumps into the hole and retrieves the device for Kurotsuchi's research and the look at each other in silence. Psylocke is the only one that knows what each man is thinking, though, she doesn't pry on this occasion, letting them have a private moment as the walk back in silence together. Whether in a moment of exhaustion or just wanting to see what happens; Betsy stumbles and is immediately caught in Shuuhei's strong grip. She blushes at her clumsiness and moves into his body as he puts an arm around her for support. They walk like that for a while; neither one, it would seem, wanting to break the contact.

**Editor's note: Wow, finally another chapter! Sorry this one was a little behind; I've been busy with work and stuff. Continue reading and I hope the story's still interesting! I have a lot more to go, so sit back and enjoy the show! **


	15. Destruction

**Hulk: Practice**

**Destruction  
**

Before Hulk and Kenpachi enter the thousand year old training grounds, they are met by the eleventh squad's third and fifth seats, followed by Zaraki's lieutenant; Yachiru Kusajishi.

**Kenpachi:** ''Bout time ya guys got here.'

**Ikkaku:** 'Sorry captain; we woulda been here sooner but we let Yachiru lead for a while and she got us lost.'

**Yachiru:** 'I didn't get 'em lost Kenny! Baldy just can't follow directions!'

Madarame's eyebrow twitches as the small lieutenant makes fun of his hairless scalp.

**Ikkaku:** '"Baldy"?'

**Yachiru:** 'Yeah Pinball head!'

She leaps up and bites the third seat's head in frustration at him challenging her navigational skills. Yumichika covers his face in embarrassment as the two somewhat comically dance around.

**Ikkaku:** 'Get off me! Don't bite so hard, you're gettin' drool all over me!'

The captain smirks at the display and motions for Hulk to ignore the two as it would seem it happens quite often. The commotion dies down and the three late comers follow their captain and the jade giant into the massive grounds. Hulk smiles at the expanse of land that stretches out before him.

**Hulk:** 'I was afraid that this place was gonna be too small to really cut loose but the old man wasn't kidding when he said; "go all out".'

**Kenpachi:** 'Yeah, gramps can be a little uptight sometimes but when he gets fired up, he can be fun. Enough o' that though; I wanna see this big bad Thanos fer myself.'

**Hulk:** 'You sure about that, Zaraki? There's no callin' time out when you see this guy. I don't want you to wet yourself.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Like ya almost did when I unleashed my true power on ya? Please; this guy better be worth all the fuss or I'm takin' my frustration out on ya.'

**Hulk:** 'You asked for it.'

**Yumichika:** 'Oh, please, can we just get on with this already? The sun is destroying my beautiful hair.'

Hulk practically ignores the fifth seat's complaining and Takes the Tenshintai and places it roughly in front of him. Like the other heroes, he closes his eyes and thinks about the titan and all the destruction and devastation he has caused over the years. As he recalls the memories, the device seems to react as it takes the thoughts into itself. Hulk opens his eyes and steps back from the slightly smaller creature in front of him. The copy opens his eyes and sneers at his familiar foe.

**Thanos:** 'Ah; Hulk, we meet again.'

**Hulk:** 'Wow, you even sound like the real deal.'

**Thanos:** 'What do you mean—'

Thanos doesn't get to finish his sentence as Hulk takes a large, powerful step forward and clotheslines the titan into the ground! He leaps into the air and lands onto Thanos with his entire 1500 pound frame, obliterating the ground beneath the two and creating a Thanos-size crater in the ground! Hulk then leaps out of the hole, dusting off his hands while acknowledging the eleventh squad captain.

**Hulk: **'Beat that.'

**Kenpachi:** 'With pleasure.'

The battle-hungry man brushes past his larger ally while smiling. Through the dust comes an enormous green blast of energy and it hits the soul reaper square in the chest, sending him up and away from the combat site! Hulk hears Kenpachi's laugh as he flies over head. The green goliath looks to see where Zaraki lands but all he sees is a cloud of dust a few hundred feet away. The captain's third and fifth seats witness him sail through the air and then look at each other.

**Ikkaku:** 'You wanna go first, or can I have him?'

**Yumichika:** 'By all means, you take him; I think I'll go blind by just looking at that hideous creature!'

**Ikkaku:** 'Thanks.'

The bald soul reaper smirks at the larger monster while drawing his sword. He rushes Thanos and dodges his eye beams before hitting home with a flurry of well placed strikes with his scabbard and zanbakutou to the titan's jaw, stomach and kidneys! Hulk watches and is impressed with the man's speed. Thanos, however, only rolls with each consecutive blow; he doesn't once go down. Madarame comes in for another shot to his opponent's head when suddenly, Thanos blocks the attack and back hands the third seat away from him! As the soul reaper flies through the air, he turns his body and lands on the ground, skidding twenty feet. Thanos turns away from the unknown entity and addresses Hulk once more.

**Thanos:** 'I tire of this game; you and I will put an end to the debate of who the strongest one is.'

Hulk glances at the still smiling Ikkaku and speaks;

**Hulk:** 'I don't think that guy's done with you yet ugly.'

Thanos folds his arms and shakes his head.

**Thanos:** 'It matters not to me whether he thinks he is done or not. I am done with him; that is all that matters.'

Madarame charges his adversary once again, and this time while running at the titan, he puts his zanbakutou's hilt to the end of his scabbard and yells;

**Ikkaku:** 'Extend, Hozukimaru!'

In a whirl of energy and light, the two pieces become one and transform into a naginata-type of weapon, resembling a large spear! While still running, he twirls the impressive weapon behind his back and weaves it under his left arm, striking at Thanos's gold armor! Sparks fly as Hozukimaru has yet to find purchase into the titan's hide. Thanos avoids a straight stab that was meant for his heart by punching the spear down and into the ground! Ikkaku's momentum carries him over the despot and right before he hits the ground, he calls out;

**Ikkaku:** 'Split, Hozukimaru!'

As the soul reaper says this the spear instantly separates into three quarters, connected by chains and the spear tip whips across Thanos's shoulder guard, slicing it off! Madarame stands a few feet from his target, spinning the blade end of his Shikai. Thanos looks over at his damaged armor and then back to the bald man who assaulted him.

**Thanos:** 'Are you that eager to meet your end, stranger?'

**Ikkaku:** 'Stranger? That's right, how rude of me; my name's Ikkaku Madarame, and I'm the third seat of squad eleven.'

**Hulk:** 'Trust me; your name doesn't mean anything to him, Madarame.'

The third seat responds to Hulk's words.

**Ikkaku:** 'It's only right for him ta know the name of the man who's gonna defeat him.

Thanos tilts his head up at the man's boastful words and sneers at Ikkaku.

**Thanos:** 'You seem very confident in yourself. Show me how you will defeat me with that toothpick.'

Ikkaku smiles and rushes the titan and as he lunges in for an attack Thanos hits the soul reaper with a psionic assault that drops the man to his knees! Frowning, Thanos picks up the third seat by the throat and puts his gloved palm against Madarame's chest. A charge of cosmic energy engulfs his hand and right before he fires the blast he gets hit on the side of his face by a medium sized fireball! This makes the Eternal let go of his prey as he turns his smoking head in the direction of the assault. Standing twenty feet away is the shiny-haired soul reaper with feathers on his eyebrow. He points a smoking right hand at his target says;

**Yumichika:** 'I hope you forgive me, Ikkaku, for interfering; I just don't think you should die at the hands of one so ugly.'

**Thanos:** 'You are but a gnat. Leave now and I may spare your worthless life.'

**Yumichika:** 'My ears hurt from your hideous voice; I guess I'll have to cut your tongue out before I do anything else.'

The soft-skinned soul reaper draws his sword and engages Thanos head on! Thanos fires off a large blast of cosmic energy but misses the soul reaper by inches! Ayasegawa swings at Thanos's mid-section and strikes armor creating more sparks. Thanos draws back and punches the fifth seat, knocking him to the ground and then kicks him hard in the gut, sending him back several yards! After a moment, the Eternal once again turns his attention to Hulk, glaring. Yumichika gets to one knee, blood dripping from his mouth. He spits a glob of life force onto the ground as he puts his hand at the tsuba of his zanbakutou.

**Yumichika:** 'Bloom, Fuji Kujaku!'

As he says this, he runs his hand down the length of his sword and a bright light consumes the blade! Once the flash is complete, the once single bladed sword is now transformed into a four-bladed sickle like weapon. Each blade is separate and curved, but connected at a point near the hand guard.

**Yumichika:** 'I will cut your grotesque armor!'

He once again rushes the larger enemy and swings hard and fast. Thanos blocks the blow with his weighted glove and as he does, Fuji Kujaku slices through the material! Thanos steps back a few feet surprised but quickly recovers and blasts the well groomed soul reaper with his devastating eye beams! With his kimono smoking, Ayasegawa again attempts to stand and face the mighty titan.

**Thanos:** 'I will commend you on your spirit; though it does not change this outcome.'

He charges his right fist with cosmic energy to unleash it at the downed soul reaper when suddenly Kenpachi Zaraki steps in front of the blast made for his fifth seat! With the back of his hand, he swats the blast of energy away as it explodes devastatingly fifty yards away! Kenpachi looks at the titan menacingly as he stands up straight.

**Kenpachi:** 'I never got my crack at ya; it's time ta settle things.'

**Thanos:** 'Why do you want to throw your life away?'

**Kenpachi:** 'If I die fightin' then I'll die happy.'

**Thanos:** 'What a curious statement; then happy I will make you.'

Zaraki laughs a deranged laugh as the two men exchange blows. Though Thanos is much stronger looking than his opponent, the blows the titan lands don't seem to be affecting the captain as much as expected. Thanos charges his fists with his energy and as he throws a hard right hook at Kenpachi's head, the soul reaper moves around the blow and throws Thanos to the ground! He follows up the take down with an attempted stomp onto Thanos's face but the titan deftly rolls out of the way. As the Eternal faces Zaraki he fires off his eye beams and they catch the captain in the shoulder; burning his haori and kimono, straight through the muscle and out of his back! The eleventh captain chuckles, enjoying the good fight as he goes to one knee. He looks up at his adversary and grins.

**Kenpachi:** 'Yer pretty strong ya know that? I think I'll enjoy this even more if I take off my restraints.'

**Thanos:** 'I will end this quickly if you stay down.'

Kenpachi just keeps smiling as he reaches up to his right eye and removes his power-inhibiting eye patch. Immediately the surrounding area is washed over by his yellow spirit energy! Thanos takes a step back, weary of this outburst of power. He shields his face with his forearm. Hulk hears the laughter echoing around the massive area as Zaraki goes all out. Thanos's eyes begin to glow a bright red and he to starts to tap into a reserve of energy. His fists and forearms are soon consumed in a great glow of cosmic energy and he again charges his amped up foe! The blows are tremendous and the sounds echo throughout the area as both men give as good as they get. Thanos ducks an exceptionally powerful blow meant for his jaw and counters with an uppercut to the captain's stomach, then he follows it up with an earth-shattering left hook to his temple that sends Kenpachi through the air and into the ground with tremendous force! He raises both hands in the direction that his adversary lands and along with his eye beams, fires off a huge amount of cosmic energy at the prone soul reaper! The area erupts in devastation and an enormous fire cloud rises into the air over the target zone. Thanos once again turns and speaks to Hulk who has just witnessed this carnage.

**Thanos:** 'You had a chance of prolonging his fate if you would have helped him. He was strong; maybe the two of you combined could have overwhelmed me for a time.'

Hulk looks over at Thanos after watching the still smoking crater that Kenpachi lies in.

**Hulk:** 'He knew what he was gettin' into; looks like it's just you and me now.'

**Thanos:** 'As it should be.'

Hulk roars and charges at the titan with all the force of a runaway freight train! He dodges a blast of energy and connects with a humongous punch to Thanos's nose and mouth which instantly makes the Eternal bleed! The nihilist stumbles back as Hulk doesn't let up, delivering three more thunderous punches to the alien's head and body! He goes for another right hook but this time Thanos catches his fist and interlocks fingers with the Hulk's huge bludgeon of a hand. Thanos attempts to throw a punch of his own which is in turn caught by Hulks large fist. The two powerhouses are stalemated momentarily as neither one budges from their spot. The ground starts to break under their struggle and suddenly Thanos smiles wickedly at Hulk. The jade giant realizes too late that he is a mere foot away from the Eternal's glowing red eyes! He moves at the very last possible second and the two red-hot beams burn into his thick, muscled neck and shoulder muscle! Through the pain, Hulk can smell his own flesh cooking and healing, then cooking again! He screams out in defiance and anger and his musculature doubles! With rage fueled strength, he head butts the titan with enough force to crack his headgear! Still holding onto Thanos's hands he repeatedly strikes the alien in the face with his titanium-hard head! After five tremendous strikes to the face, Hulk pulls the titan's arms downward and at the same time brings his redwood sized knee up to meet Thanos's jaw! The blow sends shockwaves out in all directions as Hulk lets go of his foe's arms, letting the titan stagger back; dazed and extremely bloody. He leaps at the copy and rams his shoulder hard in the Eternal's gut, sending him crashing into the ground! Hulk pins the tyrant to the ground and proceeds to pummel his adversary; each blow bringing them deeper and deeper into the crater they have made! Breathing heavily, Hulk grabs the semi-conscious Thanos by his boot and drags him out of the ten foot deep hole and throws him at the smoking crater that he last saw Kenpachi in. As the titan gets close to the rising dust and smoke, a flash of steel parts the remaining smokescreen and slashes Thanos in half! A yellow flash of energy clears the rest of the debris away and standing tall, just outside the crater is Kenpachi Zaraki; sans haori and half of his kimono. He props his worn-down sword over his shoulder and looks down at the now reverting Tenshintai. He lets out a sigh and looks over at Hulk who is motionless, save for his heavy breathing.

**Kenpachi:** 'Hey Hulk; ya shoulda let me have more fun with the guy instead of just makin' me play clean up! What a waste.'

Hulk's answer comes in the form of a long enraged roar that echoes for miles around! Kenpachi nonchalantly picks at his ear as the ear-splitting bellow ceases. Moments later Yumichika comes up on the side of his captain carrying a recovering Ikkaku. His ears and nose is caked with blood from the earlier mental assault he received from Thanos. Yachiru pops up, seemingly out of nowhere, to take her place on the back of her captain's shoulder.

**Yachiru:** 'That was pretty fun for you, huh Kenny?'

**Kenpachi:** 'It was; but I think Hulk had a better time pummeling that guy than I did!'

A few minutes later, after Hulk calms down, he rejoins his comrades. The wounds he suffered are no longer visible and his pants are just slightly more ripped than they were when they started this test.

**Hulk:** 'So; do you believe me now when I say he's strong? That wasn't the real thing folks; Thanos is a bad, bad man.'

The five stand in silence as this battle sinks in. They look around at the damage that was caused by just a representation of Thanos and even though they won't admit it; inside, the soul reapers shudder at what could happen if they can not defeat their adversary. Hulk picks up the badly damaged device and props it up on his shoulder. The party walks out of the training grounds and back towards Sei Rei Tei to let Kurotsuchi look over the device so they can hopefully come up with a way to battle the mad titan.

**Editor's note: Trust me; I'm not slowing down, I just have been really busy with work. I hope the wait is worth it! Let me know. This story's just gettin' good!**


	16. With Age Comes Experience

**Editor's note: Hello everyone! Before we begin this chapter, I would like to ask you to use caution when reading. I may have put spoilers in this chapter if you have not watched Bleach up to the "Zanbakutou Rebellion", or if you only read the Manga. Forgive me, but I wanted to make a certain character a little more appealing than he is portrayed in the series. Other than that, have fun and happy reading!**

**Practice: Dr. Strange**

**With Age Comes Experience**

After activating Soi Fon's and Byakuya's training devices, the sorcerer supreme closes his eyes and once again teleports himself; this time to the waiting head-captain. Stephen appears out of nowhere and floats the remaining few feet to where Genryusai Yamamoto and his lieutenant Choujirou Sasakibe are waiting. The two are accompanied by twenty other soul reapers who Dr. Strange assume belong to the first and fifth squads. The black-clad soul reapers look at the colorfully dressed newcomer with wonder and suspicion. Dr. Strange, seeing their doubt and hesitation smiles at them and speaks;

**Dr. Strange:** 'Up to this point I have only met with a few of soul society's denizens; most notably, captains and lieutenants. I assure you though, I mean you no harm, and my being here is only to stop a great evil from destroying all that you know.'

The old captain turns towards his gathered force and grunts.

**Yamamoto:** 'This being speaks the truth! There is a great destroyer in our midst; this man and his comrades are here to help us destroy him. I'm sure you've heard the stories of how this monster has already beaten some of soul society's best fighters. You are now going to see what this creature looks like.'

He turns back to the mystic and nods his head. Dr. Strange pulls the last Tenshintai out of the pocket universe that was housing it. He levitates it for a few seconds in front of him before setting it down on the ground.

**Dr. Strange:** 'This device will transform my thoughts into reality. Thanos is very strong and very powerful and even though this is only a simulation, his attacks will undoubtedly hurt. Be weary and support each other.'

Instead of touching this one like he did with the other two, Stephen simply transfers his memories of the beast into a bolt of energy and fires it at the device. The object glows bright and all of a sudden it changes and grows before the gathered soul reapers. The twenty men and women let out a collective gasp of shock as they lay eyes on the being that has caused their world destruction. As Strange finishes the transfer, Thanos opens his eyes and surveys the small force that surrounds him.

**Yamamoto:** 'Go now! Your pride as soul reapers lay in this moment. Prove your worth and slay this giant!'

The men and women of the two squads focus and nod at their commander's speech. Dr. Strange goes to join them in battle but he is stopped by Genryusai.

**Yamamoto:** 'You seem eager as well Doctor, but trust in their ability to defeat this villain. They're trained to handle every threat imaginable; hollow or otherwise.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I trust your judgment captain and I will remain here until the time comes that I am needed.'

He relaxes slightly and his cape folds over his body as if it has a will of its own. Yamamoto, without taking his eyes off of the newly formed memory, speaks to his lieutenant who has been silent this entire time.

**Yamamoto:** 'Lieutenant; join the others in battle. End this quickly so we can finish off the real thing.'

**Sasakibe:** 'Yes sir!'

The well dressed soul reaper vanishes from his captain's side and as Stephen looks on, reappears at the head of the force which is about to engage the titan. The being that has been conjured has not moved yet and as he stands idle, calls out to the mystic.

**Thanos:** 'Strange! It is unlike you to hide behind others; or rather, it is very like you is it not? Do not be afraid, magician, I will end you quickly and I will show these worthless creatures a merciful end as well.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I will be your opponent shortly titan; for now, they will be more than enough for you.'

The Eternal laughs at the familiar man's words and motions for all of the reapers to take him on at once.

**Yamamoto:** 'Fight with all the strength that you possess and subdue the monster!'

The twenty soul reapers move as one entity and converge on their target. Genryusai's lieutenant hangs back for just a second and Dr. Strange hears the man say;

**Sasakibe:** 'Bite, Gonryomaru.'

The sword that the soul reaper is wielding morphs into a rapier before the mystic's eyes. He too then joins the fray and battles Thanos along with the other soul reapers. At first glance it would seem that twenty-one against one is unfair, but as the battle is joined, the titan proves that these soul reapers are but little annoyance. The sorcerer supreme is but a witness to the battle that wages in front of him and the head captain. Thanos fires off two cosmically charged blasts of energy from his gauntleted hands and two soul reapers go down; their chests smoking. He fells another one with a psychic assault that makes the soul reaper bleed from his eyes, nose and ears! Three down and the forces have yet to even make it to the titan. The clean cut white-haired lieutenant takes his zanbakutou and points it into the sky and soon storm clouds begin to roll in and it starts to rain on the titan and his fellow soul reapers. Thanos looks up as the rain washes over him.

**Thanos:** 'What are you trying to do? I do not require cleansing and your pathetic attempt distract me is useless!'

At this time, a few of the combatants have managed to get under Thanos's defenses and start to strike at him with their swords. The blades, however, do not cut the mad titan's armor or thick skin! The five that got close enough for a physical assault taste the back of the Eternal's gloved hand as he strikes them away with one huge blow! Seconds pass and yellow lightning ripples high in the clouds as the storm reaches a boiling point. As Stephen patiently looks on, he sees Choujirou bring his sword down and as he does, the lightning rips from the sky and flashes towards his foe! Five bolts of yellow energy strike the titan's arms, legs and chest, turning his body into a brilliant display of fire and sparks! Impressive as the display is, the sorcerer knows that the attack is futile against Thanos. He sighs and waits for the retaliation that is sure to come. As the light and fire dies down, Thanos steps away from the newly formed glass crater that the bolts of lightning created. Crunching can be heard from underfoot as the titan's weight shatters the heat-fused ground. He can be seen glaring over the heads of the remaining soul reapers, straight at the well dressed one who had just assaulted him.

**Thanos:** 'What in your tiny, unformed mind, did you think would happen when you struck me? Pitiful being, I am the fears of a thousand worlds; your little display was nothing more than the excuse for your death!'

As Thanos speaks, Strange looks over to the head captain with a look of pleading. Yamamoto shakes his head and with a stubborn confidence says;

**Yamamoto:** 'Watch. That man did not become my lieutenant just because he dresses well.'

The mystic again focuses his attention on squad one's lieutenant and sees his lips moving as if he were speaking. From his decades of training in the arcane, Dr. Strange knows an incantation when he sees one. He can't hear what the man is saying but he can feel the power building up inside of him. Choujirou holds out a glowing yellow hand straight at the monster. As the soul reapers notice the power, they move a considerable distance away from both combatants. Stephen catches Thanos building up energy in his eyes as well and the two unleash their respective attacks at the other! The two powerful waves of energy meet in the middle of each other, and maybe it's because Thanos underestimated the man's ability to hurt him, but his disruption beams are consumed by the soul reaper's much larger wave of yellow energy and strikes the villain directly in the chest; engulfing his entire form! The head captain forms a rare smile across his face and leans over to the mystic.

**Yamamoto:** 'In English, that is called "Thunder Roar Cannon".'

**Dr. Strange:** 'So that is kidou. It is this world's magick; I felt it when he was strengthening the spell. Captain Yamamoto; with a little time studying this world's unique energy, I will be able to tap into it as well. This may be something Thanos will not be expecting!'

**Yamamoto:** 'We'll have much to discuss after our training.'

The two men go back to watching the destruction and shortly see Thanos emerge from the smoke filled area. His costume is torn and dirt covered, and his armor has lost its luster. He sneers at the surprised soul reaper and quickly fires of two concussion blasts of cosmic energy, striking the lieutenant in the chest and sending him back several meters! Five more soul reapers form a circle around their larger adversary. The first two also use kidou but in a different form than to attack Thanos. They seem to restrain the titan with energy before the other three each let loose a different form of kidou at their target. As each attack connects with the titan, Yamamoto translates the kidou for Dr. Strange.

**Yamamoto:** 'The first two men are using a binding kidou called "Crawling Rope". Now comes the attack; "White Lightning"; "Shot of Red Fire"; "Blue Fire Crash Down".'

The entire area is consumed in bedlam as the offense continues to reign down on the titan! He is completely concealed by smoke and fire as the five soul reapers stand back to see what damage has been done. A few seconds pass and suddenly a bone-chilling laugh can be heard from the smoke-filled area.

**Thanos:** 'Unforgivable children; your attacks are laughable at best.'

The five recover from their disbelief and rush the now appearing Thanos! They, like their comrades, are knocked unconscious by the titan's massive blows. Seeing their friends get beaten at the hands of this memory, the remaining squad members charge the Eternal in a vengeful, rage-fueled state! The force gets scattered by the mad titan's seemingly indomitable form and he once again looks to Dr. Strange and speaks.

**Thanos:** 'There; now you have no one to hide behind, mystic. I had held you in slight respect before today. That is no longer the case. Face me with all the magickal mite that you possess and die a worthy death.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'It was not my wish to send those children in to fight you first, titan. Out of respect for my host did I stay my hand; I think it is time to send you to a place where you will not harm another creature.'

The sorcerer supreme goes to engage the Eternal in battle when suddenly the head captain instantly appears in front of the much larger enemy!

**Yamamoto:** 'You are insufferable, even for a memory. It is time now for you to be punished!'

**Thanos:** 'What is this?'

Thanos grins at the old man before him as he powers up his fist and swings it down hard at his new foe. He nearly falls over as he hits nothing but air right where the soul reaper was just standing! Amazed by his speed, Dr. Strange relaxes and lets Yamamoto have his way with the powerful enemy. Thanos recovers and turns around to face the fast man. He fires his eye beams at his target and Genryusai blocks them with the back of his bare hand! He rushes in and with his bare, smoking hand, punches a hole straight through the titan's stomach! While his other hand holds his walking stick, he follows the punch up with a roundhouse kick to his opponent's ear, ripping his head clean off his shoulders! The headless memory staggers for a few seconds before collapsing in a cloud of dust! Dr. Strange, completely surprised by the power and speed of the older man smiles and picks up the now reverting Tenshintai. The rest of the fallen squad members slowly start to recover and they form a loose circle around the head captain and Dr. Strange.

**Dr. Strange:** 'That show of strength rivals some of our most powerful beings in our home dimension; it was very impressive Head-Captain Yamamoto.'

**Yamamoto:** 'There hasn't been a soul reaper born in a thousand years that has been stronger than me. It's a pity he didn't last longer; I may have shown him my zanbakutou.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I assure you that the real thing will be worthy of your power. Impressive as these Tenshintai are, I could feel that they would not contain the full power of Thanos. It is also fortunate that this simulation was not real, for I fear that most of these squad members would be dealing with more than just burns and bleeding wounds.'

**Yamamoto:** 'Choujirou; take the wounded to Captain Unohana and then tell the other groups to meet at Captain Kurotsuchi's lab for a meeting on what we all experienced.'

The lieutenant nods and then he gathers the others around him to escort them to the fourth squad's medical bay.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I'll go on ahead and fill the twelfth captain in on what we're going to do.'

**Yamamoto:** 'He most likely already knows, but go ahead. I'll be there shortly.'

Before Dr. Strange vanishes, he sees Yamamoto turn around as he surveys the destruction that their battle has caused. His shoulders heave as the captain sighs and then the mystic leaves him to his thoughts as he teleports away.

**Editor's note: A little longer wait than normal. I apologize for that; I was having connectivity problems for the last few days. Hope you guys are still liking the story so far. I want to do my best to keep you entertained!**


	17. Review

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Review  
**

Dr. Strange emerges at the outskirts of squad twelve and thinks to Psylocke who he feels is entering squad one's jurisdiction. _Betsy, how are you and your companions doing?_ He waits a moment and hears her thoughts in return. _Other than minor wounds, we are fine. Our battle was 'ard fought but we came out on top. I can feel the other's minds and they 'ad similar experiences but nothing too serious. Where are you now?_ Dr. Strange lets the telepath see his location through his eyes and waits for her reply. _I see; I'll tell the others to meet you at the scientist's lab. It's time to see what we can do about the real Thanos._ Dr. Strange nods physically and thinks back mentally; _I will be waiting inside for all of you. _He cuts communication with the ninja and walks through the twelfth squad's corridors, taking his time to wait for the others to arrive. Back at the first squad, the mutant female turns to her team and smiles.

**Psylocke:** 'I just finished speaking with Dr. Strange via telepathy and 'e said to meet 'im at Captain Kurotsuchi's lab. I'm going to let the others know now.'

As Betsy starts a mental conversation with her comrades, she can hear the seventh squad's lieutenant talking to Shuuhei Hisagi.

**Iba:** 'Hisagi-san; has that woman, y'know, gotten inside yer head before?'

**Shuuhei:** 'A couple of times, yes.'

**Iba:** 'I still say she's a freaky one. You got nerves of steal!'

**Shuuhei:** 'Her mental communication is kind of nice; it's more discrete than using your voice, and I find her inner voice calming.'

After a time, she stops listening to the two and connects with Logan who is entering the Rukon District with Jushiro Ukitake and Shunsui Kyoraku. _Logan; why are you all the way out 'ere, you didn't get lost?_ Wolverine, slightly offended that his teammate would even consider he was lost, thinks back. _O' course I didn't get lost darlin'; Kyoraku just didn't want ta go back just yet so I thought it'd be fun ta take a walk around an' show these two where I came in at. OK; 'urry back; we're all meeting up at Captain Kurotsuchi's lab to discuss strategy and— _Wolverine cuts her off mid-thought and hurriedly thinks back; _sure thing Bets; be there in a few._ Before the telepath leaves the feral mutant's mind she glimpses a run-down bar of sorts in a dilapidated part of town, with people of the shady sort milling about. She leaves Logan to his business, trusting her friend to return when needed. She then finds Thor who is touching down with his party near the tenth squad's barracks. _'Ow did your team do Thor?_ The god of thunder thinks his reply; _we faired well enough Lady Psylocke. These soul reapers are powerful indeed and I feel that Thanos hath met his match!_ Betsy acknowledges his thoughts and thinks; _that's good to 'ear; when you're ready, meet us at squad twelve so we can go over the particulars of the plan._ Before cutting the link, Thor responds; _Verily. We shall meet again soon._ She looks for Hulk's mind this time and as she does, shudders from the level of concentration it takes just to communicate with the seemingly irritated mind. _'Ulk? _No answer._ 'Ulk. _Still nothing._ 'Ulk!_ His slow reply comes back in the form of backlash and Psylocke winces. _I hear you; it's just hard to concentrate when you got four people tryin' to talk all at once! _He calms down slightly and Betsy relaxes a bit; _when you can, meet the others at the twelfth squad's lab. _Hulk mentally chuckles; _yeah if we can find the place. _She breaks the final link and physically sighs as that last communiqué was semi-taxing after her fight with Thanos.

**Shuuhei:** 'Is everything alright Betsy? You look a little wore out.'

**Psylocke:** 'Communicating with 'Ulk is rather taxing on my mind. 'E 'as so much rage that even when 'e seems calm, there's a proverbial war going on in 'is 'ead.'

**Shuuhei:** 'Just by looking at him I can see why he gets along with Captain Zaraki. He's massive, and besides Captain Komamura and hollow, I've never seen a creature that big before.'

**Psylocke:** 'I can assure you dear, that his mass isn't just for show.'

The conversation slowly dies as they enter the twelfth squad's borders and the four companions walk in silence the rest of the way.

Wolverine walks around the familiar area of his first time here. This time is a little different, however, as he's accompanied by two captains of the thirteen court guard squads.

**Shunsui:** 'This is where you came to have your first drink in soul society? No wonder you didn't want to try my sake at first.'

**Wolverine:** 'I got inta my first fight here right in that bar. Buncha lowlifes tryin' ta make a name fer themselves I reckon.'

**Shunsui:** 'Should we see if their manners have changed any since last you were here?'

**Wolverine:** 'I thought ya'd never ask bub.'

**Jushiro:** 'We should not waste too much time here Logan-san. With every minute we stand idle, Thanos grows more powerful.'

**Wolverine:** 'We'll just be a minute Ukitake, then we'll go an' kick Thanos's ass.'

The more level-headed captain sighs and follows after his low key friend and their new wild one. Sitting around a large table is the same eight people Logan thrashed just days ago. They still sport the bruises and some of them have their arms wrapped in slings and bandages. The leader of the group, which also has the most wounds, recognizes the small man almost instantly! He stands up with a shocked look upon his face.

**Group Leader:** 'I-it's you! Ya didn't say ya was a soul reaper!'

**Wolverine:** 'I'm not a soul reaper bub; I'm just here on a little vacation.'

The man's eyes dart over the small man's shoulder as he spots the two captains enter the bar behind Logan.

**Group Leader:** 'N-no way! Those're captains of the thirteen court guard squads! They don't ever come down this way; I'm outta here!'

The leader rushes out of the bar, bowing to the three men on his way out. The seven others quickly follow suit and the bar is soon cleared of all riff raff. The only one left in the place is the bartender who is a little scared as well of the two taller captain-class men.

**Bartender:** 'W-would ya care for a drink; o-on the house?'

Wolverine smiles and says;

**Wolverine:** 'Nah, we were just leavin'.'

The captains of the eighth and thirteenth squad look at each other and shrug in unison as they follow Logan out the way they had come. Kyoraku pulls down his straw hat as they walk out of the district and head for Sei Rei Tei.

Stephen stops at the huge doors leading into the twelfth captain's laboratory when this time he is greeted by a soul reaper he has yet to meet. She has long black hair that is pulled back into a braid that hangs down her back. Her green eyes hold a melancholic expression and her kimono is more reminiscent of a short skirt than what the mystic has seen so far. She bows slightly to the sorcerer and beckons him inside with a nonchalant wave of her hand.

**?: ** 'This way, "strange doctor".'

**Dr. Strange:** 'You must be close to Captain Kurotsuchi if you already know how he refers to me. What is your name my dear?'

The monotone female looks quizzically at Dr. Strange as she hesitates to answer.

**?:** '… My name is Kurotsuchi; Nemu Kurotsuchi.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'You are related to that man?'

**Nemu:** 'Yes; I am his lieutenant and daughter.'

Dr. Strange is rarely taken off guard or surprised, but this revelation shocks even him. He quickly scans the woman in front of him just to double check what he already had confirmed before she opened the doors. She has life yet is not alive; like a living doll of sorts.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Forgive my bluntness, Nemu; are you a homunculus?'

**Nemu:** 'I am what my master has created; nothing more and nothing less. Please; father is waiting for your Tenshintai. Follow me.'

As they walk the familiar corridors, Strange can't help but think about how Mayuri created her. He has seen the power of soulless dolls before, but he can feel there is more to this Nemu than just a lifeless body that has been animated. Stephen makes a mental note to ask Kurotsuchi about his creation later; if they can beat Thanos. Instead of entering the lab that Stephen collected the Tenshintai from, the lieutenant leads the doctor down a separate corridor. As they round a corner the sorcerer supreme sees Captain Kurotsuchi hunched over a bank of consoles. The glow of the screens casts the scientist in an eerie green light. In the center of the large room is a round table-like structure that has a holographic projector built on top of the mettle sitting area. Heavy cables connect the projector to the bank of consoles that Mayuri is studying. Nemu and Dr. Strange stop ten yards from the captain and the lieutenant bows as she speaks.

**Nemu:** 'I have returned with the doctor as ordered.'

Without looking at his daughter, the captain replies dismissively.

**Mayuri: **'Good; now go and do something else.'

Nemu nods passively and vanishes as Dr. Strange looks on. He clears his throat and floats to where Kurotsuchi is. Struggling with his curiosity, Stephen refrains from questioning his host about the composition of his "daughter". Mayuri turns around with a wide grin on his painted face.

**Mayuri:** 'You didn't destroy the device did you? Hurry and let me see it!'

**Dr. Strange:** 'It is a resilient creation; it was heavily damaged by Head-Captain Yamamoto but it withstood his assault.'

He opens up the pocket dimension and retrieves the Tenshintai which is still slightly smoking from the abuse it had taken from their battle. Upon looking at it, the soul reaper frowns but takes the device anyway. He turns back to one of the consoles he was looking at earlier and presses a button. Dr. Strange sees a small storage compartment open and two cables jut out. Kurotsuchi takes the cables and inserts them into the Tenshintai through a port unseen by the mystic. He then places the practice doll, by the legs, into a housing device between the projector and his bank of computers. A few seconds later, a green image of Thanos appears in the middle of the table. It is in a running loop of the battle that just occurred. Mayuri turns back to the mystic and smiles like a child with a brand new toy.

**Mayuri:** 'We will have the data printout shortly; you will be the first to be critiqued.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'That is acceptable; though do keep in mind that Yamamoto is the one that brought down our simulation. Try to go easy on him, will you?'

Kurotsuchi looks away, disinterested, but Dr. Strange could see that his words made the captain a bit uncertain as to his approach on grading his captain. Just then another group of soul reapers enter the meeting room. Stephen has to look twice to recognize the captain that leads two others into the room. It is Byakuya Kuchiki; followed by Renji Abarai and Kira Izuru. The captain wears a stoic expression as always, but his captain's haori is missing and he has a slight cut on his cheek. His lieutenant's kimono is missing a right sleeve and his red hair that is normally pulled up into a wild ponytail is now free flowing down his back. The third squad's lieutenant has a leg missing from his kimono and left cheek is noticeably bruised and swollen. The captain of the sixth squad ignores the sorcerer as he walks by him and drops the Tenshintai at the twelfth captain's feet.

**Mayuri:** 'What's wrong, was the test a little more than what you were prepared for, sixth captain?'

**Byakuya:** 'It was nothing I was not prepared for.'

He walks to the table and sits down; the two lieutenants do the same and wait for the others to arrive. Kurotsuchi unplugs Strange's device and attaches Kuchiki's device. After a few minutes he unhooks that one and punches some keys on the consoles, waiting for the others as well. The next soul reaper to arrive is captain of the second squad, Soi Fon. Her haori is missing as well and her arms are bruised with several small lacerations adorning her lithe frame. Dr. Strange looks up expecting to see a black cat but he doesn't see Yoruichi anywhere. Suddenly, rounding the corner walks the female form of Soi Fon's mentor! Though there wasn't a lot of conversation before, now the silence is deafening as the others lay eyes upon the exiled former captain. Byakuya recovers first as he closes his eyes and goes back to his emotionless expression. Renji and Kira look at each other with mirrored shocked expressions, then shrug and nod at the beautiful female. Mayuri eyes the darker skinned woman with an accusatory look.

**Mayuri:** 'If one traitor is here then that Urahara can't be far behind.'

**Yoruichi:** 'You know he's not a traitor Mayuri; you've seen the data yourself. Just get over your abandonment issues and find out what you can about Thanos and tell us how to beat him.'

She throws the Tenshintai she was carrying over to the scientist who scoffs yet catches it adeptly. Dr. Strange watches the exchange in silence but notices cuts on her cheek, neck and body as well. Soi Fon goes and sits down and her companion stands behind her. Thor and his team arrive shortly after the tense exchange, and Hitsugaya and Rangiku both acknowledge the presence of Yoruichi as an ally and not as treacherous garbage. Thor looks over the ones gathered so far and spots his antagonist, Byakuya Kuchiki. He nods solemnly at the captain as he notices his wounds at the hands of their adversary. He turns to Dr. Strange and speaks;

**Thor:** 'Tis good to see ye faired well 'gainst yon version of Thanos, Doctor.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'At the bequest of Yamamoto I was just to watch as he and his allies tested themselves against my memory. They did well though; only the lower ranked soul reapers sustained any damage.'

Before he speaks he leans in closer to where only the sorcerer can hear.

**Thor:** 'Mine fear be, if any power lower than lieutenant that should face the tyrant wouldst surely be slain.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I too share your doubts, thunder god; Yamamoto has witnessed that today and I think he would not send anyone in not capable of handling this threat.'

With that, Odin's Son stands next to the sorcerer supreme while Rangiku and her captain take their places at the large table. Kurotsuchi is busy uploading the data from each Tenshintai as the devices are dropped off. A few moments later, Komamura, Iba, Hisagi and Psylocke enter the meeting room with their Tenshintai. They too show the signs of a hard fought battle as the four are wounded and their clothes are ripped and dirty. The large captain hands Kurotsuchi their battle damaged device and walks over to where the other soul reapers are gathered. His lieutenant follows his lead and before the ninth squad's lieutenant joins them, he gives Betsy a look and a smile which is returned by the mutant woman. Psylocke walks over to where Strange and Thor are standing and thinks to Stephen; _Wolverine decided to take his new friends on a tour of some kind. When I left 'is mind, they were at an undesirable location._ The sorcerer supreme thinks back. _I am sure he will use his best judgment and-_ his thought is interrupted as the very topic of their discussion walks into the room with the captains of the eighth and thirteenth squads on either side of the shorter mutant.

**Wolverine:** 'I told ya we weren't gonna be the last ones ta get here.'

**Shunsui:** 'Yama-Jii hasn't arrived yet so we're still ok.'

**Jushiro:** 'I think Logan-san's influence is going to corrupt us, Shun-kun.'

**Shunsui:** 'If you ask my Nanao-chan, she would say I can't be corrupted any more than I already am.'

The men share a laugh before parting ways as Wolverine casually walks over to the rest of his group. Psylocke looks at her hairy teammate and takes notice of his ripped kimono.

**Psylocke:** 'Logan; is that the same kimono you 'ad on from last night?'

**Wolverine:** 'Since when are ya concerned with the look o' my clothes darlin'? But yeah, I didn't get a chance ta change yet an' I figured I was just gonna get dirty again; maybe I'll change later.'

She sighs and shakes her head, making her long purple locks gently dance. Psylocke feels the room go tense as soul society's head captain walks into the large chamber. Dr. Strange greets him with a bow and Yamamoto acknowledges him with a nod of his bald head. He surveys the room and his frown deepens as he sees that one of his captains is missing and that there is another who is here uninvited.

**Yamamoto:** 'Yoruichi. It has been a while since you've last been here. Given the circumstances I will allow you to stay. Will we be expecting any other visitors?'

**Yoruichi:** 'If there is a need for him, he will be here.'

**Yamamoto:** 'Very well.'

Betsy can hear his thoughts and surprisingly they have nothing to do with Urahara or Yoruichi. _Why is Zaraki always late? I'm going to have to punish him soon if he keeps us waiting much longer. _The telepath suppresses a smile at his thoughts as the powerful captain takes his place among his fellow soul reapers. Heavy footfalls can be heard well before the creator of those sounds is seen. As the sounds get louder, the massive Hulk appears along side of the intimidating eleventh squad captain and his third and fifth seats. Yachiru pops up from Kenpachi's shoulder and joyfully exclaims;

**Yachiru:** 'We made it to Kuro's private place!'

The scientist cringes at the small child's outburst and turns around to correct her.

**Mayuri:** 'You will address me as "captain" or "Captain Kurotsuchi". Not childish nicknames that you make up as you go along.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Lighten up "Kuro"; she doesn't mean anything by it.'

As the two captain's conversation begins to escalate, Head-Captain Yamamoto clears his throat and the bickering subsides. Kurotsuchi gets in one last glare at the volatile soul reaper before placing the last Tenshintai into its home and keying in some data. He pushes one last button and steps over to the other soul reapers sitting around the projector.

**Mayuri:** 'Each one of your battles are entered and calculated. Your results will be displayed in the order that I received your device.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Ya mean I have ta wait 'til last?'

**Mayuri:** 'I'm surprised that you can count Zaraki.'

**Kenpachi:** 'I'll be surprised if I don't kick yer ass after this meeting.'

**Yamamoto:** 'Enough! Children argue like this; not captains of the thirteen protection squads. I don't want anymore interruption out of anyone.'

The scientist pauses for a moment before continuing his analysis.

**Mayuri:** 'I will be going in order by which I received the Tenshintai, so therefor; Captain Yamamoto and the mystic will be first. Kidou seems to work on the alien, but only high levels with incantations do any real damage. His skin and armor are extremely resilient to harm and only the most powerful of attacks will penetrate his hide. The efficiency of this battle was hindered due to the amount of lower ranked soul reapers involved. Once Captain Yamamoto intervened, the battle was over.'

As the heroes look on, they see the captain of squad twelve surveys the room and fix his eyes on Byakuya.

**Mayuri:** 'The next battle is Captain Kuchiki and his team; once again, anyone lower than a lieutenant doesn't seem to have much effect on the alien. He seems to be affected by our zanbakutou's special abilities as evidenced by Izuru's Shikai; however, he soon was able to overcome the attack. Abarai's Bankai was efficient; until the massive creature got his hands on it.'

The holograph flashes to the particular part in their battle where Zabimaru, in its Bankai state, charged at Thanos and the titan caught the huge snake-like weapon by it mouth. The weapon attempted to unleash a powerful energy attack from it mouth when suddenly Thanos ripped its jaws apart! Gasps can be heard around the table, particularly from Rangiku; and a chuckle from Ikkaku. Renji covers his face with his hand in semi embarrassment as his attack is relived for all to see.

Mayuri: 'That wasn't the worst of the battle though; Captain Kuchiki seemed to overestimate his abilities to some degree as well.'

The images flicker and change to a point in the battle where Byakuya gets in close for a mid-level kidou spell and is caught by the mad titan's hand. He proceeds to blast a hole through the captain, but it is soon revealed that it was only his haori that was injured. The kidou works, and soon after, Byakuya is shown to unleash his Shikai and put an end to the simulation. The holograph has no sound so the heroes can't hear what is said when he used the spell or how he unleashed his sword's hidden power. As his simulation finishes, Thor sees the captain steal a glance at Yoruichi who smiles at him with a knowing grin. He quickly looks away but he too smirks.

**Mayuri:** 'Now onto the second captain's simulation outcome. As you all are aware by now, she had help from an ex-captain. The speed used in this battle was most impressive but Thanos's body stood up to their attacks. It wasn't until the two of you used your most powerful attacks did you subdue the alien.'

Again without sound not a lot can be told but both women during a point in the battle engulf themselves with energy and simultaneously kick the titan in the head from opposite angles and destroy him! The chocolate skin woman looks down at her partner and grins proudly. The smaller woman sitting down returns the grin while blushing.

**Mayuri:** 'The amount of energy displayed in this simulation was impressive as well. Toshiro, you say your partner is a god of thunder?'

**Toshiro:** 'It's Captain Hitsugaya.'

**Thor:** 'I am the god of thunder.'

**Mayuri:** 'Yes, yes; well the display was off the charts so I won't argue with you. I would love to study your weapon though; my curiosity has grown after watching this battle.'

**Thor:** 'Nay, scientist; you be not worthy to hold Mjllonir.'

Wolverine snorts and Hulk chuckles as their teammate denies the mad man a look at his hammer. Kurotsuchi straitens his lab coat and clears his throat to continue.

**Mayuri:** 'Fine; Captain Komamura and his team's Tenshintai would be the next device I analyzed. It took several high powered kidou spells and the captain's massive Shikai to finally subdue the threat. He won't make our fight with him easy and I hope that we don't have to completely destroy him to beat him. I won't get any samples if we have to do that.'

He stops his monologue as he notices everyone looking at him. He continues with his analysis of the remaining devices.

**Mayuri:** 'Let's see, who's next? Ah, yes; Kyoraku, Ukitake and their new, amazing, friend.'

**Wolverine:** 'Easy bub, sweet talk will get ya nowhere with me.'

**Mayuri:** 'Eh? Your simulation was the leas efficient of them all. Two captains and a human who knows how the monster fights and you still had the worst time.'

Logan shoots a glare over to Shunsui who looks away sheepishly.

**Wolverine:** 'I told ya ta get yer ass in gear; Shunsui didn't wanna fight till the last minute!'

**Shunsui:** 'I wanted to see if he wanted to talk it out first.'

**Mayuri:** 'No matter; it seems that the Tenshintai was shorted out after you attacked anyway, so we don't know if you stabbing it in the chest did any true damage at all.'

He switches to the last device on record and turns to his verbal adversary from earlier.

**Mayuri:** 'Now we can finally get to Zaraki's fight the alien. If Hitsugaya and Thor's battle was impressive through energy, then this battle was impressive through pure strength! Green one; how much can you lift?'

**Hulk:** 'A lot.'

**Mayuri:** 'To say the least; the blows that you reigned down on the device were some of the strongest ever recorded in soul society to date. Your sheer power overwhelmed the device and by the time you threw it at Kenpachi, it was nearly drained of all its energy.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Ya mean ta tell me he just threw a used up punchin' bag at me ta slice through? That's messed up, even fer you Hulk.'

The green goliath shrugs and focuses on the twelfth captain.

**Mayuri:** 'From what I can tell from your battles is that our adversary is extremely resilient against most forms of energy and he's amazingly strong. When we finally are able to face him, he won't be an easy victory.'

The head captain stands up and speaks to everyone that is gathered.

**Yamamoto:** 'We will conclude this meeting then. It's almost evening and you all have practiced hard without rest; go clean up and we will all meet for dinner. Let's show the humans how soul society throws a party!'

Toshiro, Byakuya and Sajin look up in shock to what their head captain has just said.

**Toshiro:** 'Sir, I don't think a party's what we-'

**Rangiku: ** 'No captain! A party's exactly what we need to melt some of this tension that's in the air!'

Most everyone around nods or murmurs in agreement and Yamamoto cracks a rare grin. As everyone goes to leave and make preparations for the feast, a spikey orange-headed soul reaper enters the room.

**Ichigo:** 'Hey guys what'd I miss?'

**Editor's notes: Finally! Enter Ichigo! Now the real story can start right? Happy Reading!**


	18. Party

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Party  
**

Everyone in the room, the heroes included, stops and looks at the newcomer when suddenly the small eleventh squad lieutenant breaks the silence.

**Yachiru:** 'Ichi! Look Kenny, Ichi's here to play with you!'

**Ichigo:** 'No wait! I—'

Before the orange-haired boy can protest, Yachiru leaps from her captain's back and onto Ichigo's shoulder, grabbing at his unruly hair! According to the other soul reaper's reactions, this is a normal occurrence, but to the heroes it's a sight to behold! Byakuya is the first to walk out of the room, followed by Captain Komamura and his lieutenant. Kenpachi walks over to the shorter soul reaper who just got attacked by his lieutenant.

**Kenpachi:** 'Yer just in time fer a big party. Ya missed my big battle with mean green over there.'

He nods his head in Hulk's direction, making the bells on the tips of his hair jingle a bit.

**Kenpachi:** 'Let's say ya and me get in a quick fight before we eat.'

Kurosaki waves him off nervously backs away sweating.

**Ichigo: ** 'Ah, no that's OK Kenpachi! I-I have to talk to Yoruichi before dinner!'

Before he runs over to the dark-skinned woman standing behind Soi Fon, Psylocke catches his fleeting thoughts. _Man, Kenpachi's crazy as ever! Hopefully that Hulk guy can distract him long enough from wantin' to fight me every five minutes!_ Suddenly the telepath is hit unexpectedly by some sort of back lash! _What are you doin' in her girl? The "king" is mine!_ She blinks a few times, stunned by the amount of power the rejection had. Dr. Strange looks over to Psylocke and thinks; _are you alright Betsy?_ She pauses momentarily before answering_. I-I'm fine Stephen… I caught Ichigo's surface thoughts and something literally threw me out of 'is mind. I don't know 'ow else to explain the sensation that I got._ He contemplates her words for a moment. _Be careful; we still do not fully understand the mechanics of this world or how these soul reaper's minds relate to telepathy and other forms of intrusion. _She nods before catching a concerned look from Shuuhei. The mutant tries to reassure him with a smile but he thinks to her his reply. _Tell me later?_ This time her smile is more genuine; _I will dear. _Finally, a very much annoyed Captain Kurotsuchi pushes the remaining soul reapers and heroes out of his lab, saying;

**Mayuri:** 'Don't touch anything on the way out!'

Logan heads out and walks with Kyoraku and Jushiro to head back to the eighth squad to get cleaned up and to find a clean kimono.

**Wolverine:** 'Hey Shunsui; do ya have any onsen around here where a guy could wash up?'

The eighth captain closes his eyes and smiles.

**Shunsui:** 'Logan-san; I have my own personal hot springs that just happens to be co-ed and is open to anyone. How do you feel about hadaka no tsukiai?'

**Wolverine:** 'Ha! Did ya just say "naked communion"? I spent a portion o' my life naked, and I don't have a lot o' shame; so I don't really mind too much.'

**Shunsui:** 'That's good to hear.'

They walk on for a bit longer and Ukitake departs the other two's company and heads for his squad. Kyoraku shows Wolverine where his bath can be taken and then leaves him to his business. Logan sighs and, even though he likes his new allies, is glad to have a moment to him self. He finds another kimono and a few towels in a neighboring drawer. After gathering his belongings, Logan heads down to the seemingly isolated hot springs. He strips down and adeptly pulls up a stool to sit down on as he washes up. A few minutes later, he gets up and walks down a stone laden path which meets the hot water. After getting comfortable, he puts one of the towels he has on his head and leans back; closing his eyes. Logan lies in the water with his arms outstretched on the cool surrounding rocks listening to the calm water lap against his hairy body. Minutes later he hears soft footsteps coming up behind him. His acute mutant hearing picks up every minute detail; telling him everything he needs to know before the unknown person even reaches him. Perfect posture; elegant, yet powerful; skilled in the art of stealth. The short mutant smiles and announces his findings;

**Wolverine:** 'Ya couldn't wait ta see me naked, eh darlin'?'

A very voluptuous and very naked cocoa skinned, auburn-haired woman enters the spring next to her ally. She sinks into the warm water; essentially covering her beautiful body.

**Yoruichi:** 'I should have known that you wouldn't be the least bit uncomfortable by my display of skin. It gets Ichigo every time.'

**Wolverine:** 'Yer a cruel, cruel woman Yoruichi-san.'

**Yoruichi:** 'When you've been around as long as I have you find ways to keep yourself entertained.'

**Wolverine:** 'Yer tellin' me.'

The ex-captain tilts her head and smiles at Logan.

**Yoruichi:** 'I almost had Soi Fon join me on this little adventure you know.'

Wolverine bares a toothy grin in response to Yoruichi's new topic of conversation.

**Wolverine:** 'I can just hear how that little chat went. "I do not care where that dog goes! He is dishonorable and undeserving of your attention Yoruichi-sama." Am I in the ball park darlin'?'

The woman laughs genuinely at the mutant's words and her movement ripples the water.

**Yoruichi:** 'Very close; she used the term "mongrel" instead of dog, but you did a good imitation. All joking aside, give her some time; she does respect your fighting ability and she has acknowledged your bravery.'

**Wolverine:** 'It's a start.'

Silence returns to the onsen as the two concentrate on the warm waters. Suddenly the silence is shattered by a high pitched female's voice! Even though Wolverine has only heard the voice once before, he remembers instantly who the wail belongs too.

**Orihime:** 'Oh an onsen!'

Her voice is followed up by an even higher pitched outburst.

**Yachiru:** 'I wanna play with jiggles in the bath!'

Logan feels a rush of air as a pale-skinned body with long orange hair, flies over his nearly hidden form; followed quickly by a shorter, pink-haired girl! They hit the water with a big splash and in the sudden chaos; Wolverine hops out of the turbulent water and wraps the towel around his naked form.

**Wolverine:** 'Adult swim's over; see ya soon darlin'.'

He waves back nonchalantly at the stealthy female as he exits the now very busy hot spring.

Meanwhile, Psylocke leaves with Shuuhei to help him gather up supplies for the get-together at the head captain's large courtyard. As they walk, the lieutenant looks over to his companion.

**Shuuhei:** 'Did you get a headache while you were in the meeting Betsy?'

**Psylocke:** 'Something like that; as a telepath I'm trained not to read a person's mind unless they give me permission, but there are times when I pick up on strong surface thoughts. When Ichigo was joking with Kenpachi, I read 'is thoughts and was suddenly "thrown out on my bum", by a very strong presence.'

**Shuuhei:** 'It was probably Zangetsu; Ichigo's zanbakutou and other self. I can't say for sure, because we don't have many mind readers around, but our spirits should protect our inner selves from attack.'

**Psylocke:** 'Maybe you're right dear; I'll just be more careful from 'ere on out.'

Betsy ponders his words but knows what she felt was not Zangetsu. What she doesn't tell the soul reaper is that she already knows what Ichigo's zanbakutou feels like; she also knows that the presence that pushed her out is the same dark mind she felt when the two first met back at Urahara's Shop.

Yumichika and Ikkaku leave their captain and Hulk to join Rangiku, Kira and Renji as they go to get supplies and food for the party. Hulk can tell the eleventh squad's captain doesn't party too much and he can relate to the battle hardened soul reaper. If he had it his way, he go out on his own to find Thanos and deal with him right now! But the jade giant knows that the titan is a grand schemer and if he went out half-cocked, he may lose. So he resigns him self to 'play nice' for a little while longer and the two kindred spirits walk in silence to the first squad.

Thor enjoys a good party but he does have slight reservations about the timing of the event. Hitsugaya and the god of thunder walk to the first squad's court yard and Thor senses Toshiro's uneasiness.

**Thor:** 'Doth something trouble you captain?'

**Toshiro:** 'Nothing in particular; it's just this "feast". My lieutenant refers to me as a "wet blanket", but I don't see the big deal about getting together to eat. I have food in my quarters and I know Matsumoto hordes food and drink all the time.'

**Thor:** 'I believe I know why yon head captain decreed such an order. Thanos has yet to make a move and e'en with Dr. Strange's great seal; we know not where the titan be. Tis his belief that we shall be merry and "blow off steam", as I've heard it called.'

The small captain sighs and folds his arms into his sleeves.

**Toshiro:** 'I get that, I just don't feel it's my place; these parties. I should go see Hinamori-chan—'

He stops mid-sentence and glances up at his companion and quickly looks away as a bead of sweat forms on his temple. Thor looks down at him when he stops talking and pries slightly.

**Thor:** 'Who doth this "Hinamori-chan" be?'

The boy doesn't want to answer at first but as he feels Thor's intense blue eyes on him he sighs and quietly replies.

**Toshiro:** 'She's a… old friend of mine… who was severely injured at the hands of one of soul society's defectors; Aizen. She's healing, but since this whole thing started, I haven't had a chance to check in on her.'

**Thor:** 'Captain Hitsugaya. There doth be no shame in visiting this girl. Go now; I shall fathom an alibi for yon absence.'

The white-haired soul reaper looks up at Thor with a new found respect and then looks back down. He smiles a little and whispers;

**Toshiro:** 'Thank you, Thor.'

He vanishes from Thor's side and Odin's Son smiles too as he continues his journey to his destination.

Dr. Strange instantly teleports to the large court yard that will serve as the spot for the big party. Like his companions, he too has misgivings about playing instead of stopping their nemesis; but the mystic remains patient. Instead of focusing on the coming days and the preparations that need to be made, he looks around at the busy soul reapers as they start to set up for the feast. As he begins to ask what he can do to aid the people around him, Ichigo Kurosaki approaches him.

**Ichigo:** 'What's goin' on doc?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Hello Ichigo, I can tell you have grown in strength since the last time we met; very good.'

**Ichigo:** 'Ah, thanks. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for giving you guys a hard time back at Urahara-san's shop. It's been a rough couple weeks for me as I'm sure you've heard.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'No need to apologize, son; we show up out of nowhere and tell you of a great evil that has made its way into your world, and that is after you have faced great odds already. I think you reacted better than most in a situation like that.'

The orange-haired substitute looks Stephen in the eyes and says;

**Ichigo: ** 'Thanks.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'You are quite welcome. Now; what do we need to get this party started?'

The sorcerer supreme grins at the younger man and clasps him on the shoulder before parting his company. As minutes pass, more and more soul reapers enter the large area with supplies and food in their hands.

Each squad brings something to captain Yamamoto's court yard for the feast. Soi Fon brings what she calls 'entertainment' in the form of smoke bombs and other explosives that can be used for 'fireworks'. The large crate that houses the ordinance is carried by her lieutenant, Omaeda, who is trying very hard to get back on her good side. Wolverine, who is now bathed and sporting a clean kimono, spots the larger soul reaper and chuckles as he sees him struggling.

**Wolverine:** 'Looks like that's quite a load ya got there bub; want a hand?'

While wobbling the balding lieutenant looks around the crate to better see the shorter mutant.

**Omaeda:** 'I, ungh, don't need help… from, ungh, you.'

Logan ignores the proud man and grabs the other side of the crate.

**Wolverine:** 'Just so ya know, I ain't helpin'; I just don't want ya messin' around an' gettin' somethin' wrong.'

**Omaeda:** 'Heh; do you make everybody this irritated or just people you like?'

**Wolverine:** 'I'm an equal opportunity offender bub.'

The big man chuckles and the two of them walk in silence the rest of the way as they set the crate down near the back of the staging area. The other squads bring things as well but none more notably than Rangiku Matsumoto and her partners in crime; the lieutenants of the sixth and third squad, Renji Abarai and Kira Izuru. The three are still accompanied by Ikkaku and Yumichika who are bringing up the rear with a cart mostly full of sake jugs. Thor, who decided to fly the rest of the way sees the scene unfold under him and alters his course to land next to the blonde female. Rangiku smiles wide and exclaims;

**Rangiku:** 'There's my hunk of muscle! Where's my captain, don't tell me he's back at his office brooding.'

The god of thunder shakes his head at her questioning.

**Thor:** 'Nay m'lady; he did sayeth he hath some business to attend to and that if time permitted, he wouldst surely be here.'

**Rangiku:** 'Oh poo. Well at least you're here; now the party can get started!'

They walk to a central location and Renji helps the two from the eleventh squad unload their bounty. Kira silently steps away from the group and catches Thor's attention. Thor steps away from the easily distracted Matsumoto and joins the lieutenant of the third squad.

**Kira:** 'If you do not mind my asking, where did Captain Hitsugaya really go?'

**Thor:** 'He did not say.'

**Kira:** 'I do not mean to have you betray his trust, but I think he went to see someone.'

**Thor:** 'I believe thou to be a good man Lieutenant Izuru, but tis not my place to say what the young captain is doing.'

**Kira:** '… Your honor is respectable thunder god; I won't ask anything else.'

As the seconds tick by, Matsumoto's voice shatters the silence!

**Rangiku:** 'I hope you two aren't planning on ruining this party! We don't get to unwind that much and I'm gonna take relaxation wherever I can get it!'

Kira nods at his steadfast ally and turns back to smile sheepishly at the others.

Hulk notices as he steps into the courtyard that the surrounding soul reapers try and avoid the two large and intimidating individuals. Hulk likes to be left alone but the outward sign of avoidance is kind of offensive; even to him. He looks over to Kenpachi and notices that the captain doesn't even seem to care as he continues to walk on, not acknowledging anyone else's presence either.

**Kenpachi:** 'This is boring; I don't wanna party, I wanna hit somethin'!'

**Hulk:** 'Relax a little; take time to enjoy life.'

**Kenpachi:** 'What is that shit? Ya sound like that guy Kyoraku.'

**Hulk:** 'I'm just sayin' that there's nothing we can do but sit on our hands 'till Thanos makes a move. So why not try to enjoy this.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Whatever; yer no fun anyway.'

The crazy captain then looks up and spots Ichigo talking with Rangiku and the others. He grins wickedly and starts to head off in their direction.

**Kenpachi:** 'I'll catch ya later mean green.'

He waves without looking back at the larger being. Hulk shakes his head and walks off to a secluded part of the now bustling area. The party is almost in full swing as Psylocke and her tattooed companion make their entrance with more entertainment; this time in the form of a guitar. They set up near the front and Shuuhei smiles at Betsy as he begins to play. Yoruichi is seen entering the area with Orihime and Yachiru in tow. Wolverine looks over and nods in her direction and as he does, notices Ichigo's other two friends walking in behind them. The taller of the two is dressed in a similar way to what he had on in the world of the living. He wears khaki pants and a black form-fitting polo with a yellow rose on the sleeve. The other young man is still dressed in his white attire with a small cape draped over his shoulders. An hour or so passes and the sun has almost set, as the party is now in full-swing. Yamamoto is sitting at a table with his lieutenant, who has fully recovered from his earlier injuries thanks to the adept skills of the fourth squad's captain, Retsu Unohana. She is sitting elegantly next him at the large table as they watch the fun unfold in front of them. Wolverine notices that Ukitake has not yet arrived but shrugs it off, knowing that everyone is entitled to their own life. Thor notices that Rangiku hasn't let her jug of sake out of her sight as she carries it with her while stumbling around drunk. Psylocke leaves her lieutenant to get food and passes Chad on the way to the food table.

**Chad:** 'Excuse me.'

**Psylocke:** 'You're one of Ichigo's friends right? Chad?'

**Chad:** 'Yes.'

**Psylocke:** 'Shuu'ei told me about 'ow you 'elped him learn to play the guitar. You should go play with 'im.'

**Chad:** 'I don't have my guitar with me.'

**Psylocke:** 'See that man over there with the long red cape?'

**Chad:** 'The blonde?'

**Psylocke:** 'O' right; sorry.'

She points over to where Dr. Strange is sitting near the head captain.

**Psylocke:** 'That one there; I bet 'e could 'elp you with your guitar problem.'

**Chad:** 'OK.'

He calmly walks over to where Stephen is sitting and looks down at the mystic.

**Chad:** 'Excuse me.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Yes son?'

**Chad:** 'That woman with the purple hair said you have a guitar for me to play on. That's really nice of you.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Betsy said I would have a guitar? Hold on for one moment.'

**Chad:** 'OK.'

Puzzled, Stephen contacts the telepath via telepathy. _Betsy, did you send Ichigo's friend over to me?_ He waits for her reply which has a smile in it. _I thought it'd be nice to 'ave two guitars playing instead of one. I was hoping you could you 'elp the boy out for me. _He jokingly sighs his reply; _just this once my dear, and only because you asked so nicely._

**Dr. Strange:** 'It just so happens I do have a guitar for you; Chad was it?'

**Chad:** 'Yes.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Very well then, Chad, follow me.'

He excuses himself from the table and walks over to a less crowded area. He closes his eyes for a moment and waves his hands in an archaic pattern and out of thin air a solid, true to form guitar appears in the mystic's gloved hands! Chad steps back, amazed by this show of power, but quickly recovers and bows to the sorcerer.

**Chad:** 'Thanks a lot.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Take good care of her.'

**Chad:** 'I will.'

The tall young man walks over to where Hisagi is still playing and joins him song. Dr. Strange goes back and sits down again, enjoying the harmonious music. The party lasts long into the night with everybody in attendance mingling and getting along. Soi Fon is never too far away from her mentor and Kenpachi switches back and forth between Hulk and Ichigo. Logan weaves back and forth between Kyoraku and Renji who is accompanied by Ikkaku and Yumichika. Thor periodically looks for Toshiro but isn't offended that he doesn't show up. He also notices that Byakuya and the large fox are not in attendance but doesn't say anything else to anyone about it.

Soon soul reapers start to leave as the moon rises high overhead. The party dies down with only Rangiku, red-faced, and still nursing a jar of alcohol and Yoruichi along with Soi Fon being some of the only soul reapers left. Yoruichi has a slight blush to her chocolate colored cheeks as well and Soi Fon's eyes are much less harsh looking. Wolverine notices the change and knows that the alcohol has gotten to the strict captain. Renji and Kira pick up Rangiku under her shoulders and proceed to take her back to her quarters while Thor looks on. Hulk and Dr. Strange have already called it a night and Kyoraku tips his hat to no one in particular as he also leaves the dying party. Hisagi and Chad bump fists to a job well done and part ways with Psylocke following Shuuhei. Just before Logan leaves the party he sees Yoruichi carrying the small captain of squad two in her arms as they head out. He heads back to his quarters alone and no sooner than his body hits the futon, the man who hasn't slept in a day and a half, passes out.


	19. A New Day

**Marvel/Bleach**

**A New Day  
**

The god of thunder greets the sun from atop a mountain as it slowly rises. As the light breaks the horizon, it engulfs Sei Rei Tei in its brilliance. As the wind blows at this altitude, it sends soft snow flurries swirling around Thor. Before the flakes have a chance to land on the blonde's skin however, they melt from the very heat of his body. He is nearly motionless as he surveys the land from his perch. He can see the glistening sea as well as immense forested areas. Thor thinks back fondly of his home of Asgard as he takes in this world and its entire splendor. Without looking down, he leaps into the air; takes his hammer off of his belt, and while holding onto the strap, throws out his arm and soars into the sky.

Bruce again wakes up in the room he was conscious in yesterday, but the difference this time is he isn't being harassed by a brute. He sighs, remembering the mutant telepath's words, and thinks to himself; _it seems you're just along for the ride this time Bruce. _ He gets up and stretches for a time as the light pierces the glassless windows. As the lanky scientist stands barefoot and half-naked, he comes to terms that he isn't needed quite as much as his alter-ego. He sighs; _time to let the beast out. _Much like he did before, he centers himself and starts to take deep breaths. Once again his bones can be heard breaking and reshaping, muscle ripping and growing. His skin changes hues from a fleshy pink to a sickly green and finally into the deep jade color of the Incredible Hulk! Hulk looks down flexing his enormous forearms and watches as his muscles ripple under his iron-like skin. He grins;

**Hulk:** 'About time.'

Around the corner from where Bruce Banner's mind and body are replaced by Hulk's immense form, casually walks the feral mutant, Wolverine. He hears the transformation as it takes place and smiles to him self as he calls out when he get close to the window.

**Wolverine:** 'Hey Hulk ya in there?'

The green goliath sighs; _can't a guy get a little peace?_

**Hulk:** 'Is that you short stuff? What do you want this early in the mornin'?

Logan leans his kimono-clad body up against the wall outside of his ally's room and continues the conversation.

**Wolverine:** 'I don't have a frickin' watch on so I don't know what time it is. I haven't punched ya in a while and was wonderin' if ya wanted ta do a little sparrin'.'

**Hulk:** 'You don't get pounded enough by me so you want to spar?'

**Wolverine:** 'Heh; somethin' like that. I wanna keep sharp and I know ya can't resist a good fight.'

Logan hears the behemoth's massive footfalls as he moves to slide open the door. Hulk walks out into the sunbathed street and glares up at the sun; almost as if he's cursing it for being up. He looks back down at his short companion and grumbles his answer.

**Hulk:** 'Fine; but don't complain when you're digging yourself out of a runt-sized hole.'

He starts to lumber off in no particular direction and Logan lifts himself up off the wall and walks next to the jade giant.

**Wolverine:** 'Don't complain when yer tryin' ta re-grow yer teeth.'

The two long-time rivals walk off together to find a more wide open space.

Betsy flutters her eyes open as she is awaken by a slight draft. She groggily looks down to see her right shoulder down to the top of her breast is showing. She smirks as she pulls her kimono up over her bared skin. The ninja's purple locks fall into her face as she looks around the unfamiliar room. She remembers walking back with Shuuhei to his quarters and… Nothing; she can't remember what they did afterwards!

**Shuuhei:** 'I gave you my futon after you fell asleep on the floor. Here; it's fresh.'

He comes into the room carrying two cups of steaming liquid. He kneels down next her and she sees that it's black coffee. Betsy looks up at the soul reaper with a question in her eyes and before she can send it via telepathy, he answers her out loud.

**Shuuhei:** 'Nothing happened last night; I-I didn't know you could put away that much sake.'

He looks away from her, slightly red in the cheeks. Betsy glances around the room and notices there are two empty jugs on the floor. She smiles at him while taking a sip of her drink.

**Psylocke:** 'I 'ave a Russian teammate back 'ome and I think you've seen how Logan drinks. A girl's got to be able to run with the boys. I 'ope I wasn't too much trouble for you.'

**Shuuhei:** 'Trouble? No, it was good to have some company. To be honest, I'm well liked by my peers and subordinates but I don't have a lot of friends. Captain Komamura and I are linked because of my former captain… Kaname Tousen. I'm usually running around the ninth squad with my hands full with responsibility. I don't want you to think I'm complaining, I'm just telling you the reason I don't get out much.'

**Psylocke:** 'I get it; since we're sharing, I was a little worried that after our first meeting, you weren't going to warm up to me. I'm 'appy you did.'

He blushes again as he looks at her; on the surface of his mind, the telepath can see how she looks to him. Tussled purple hair, playfully seductive eyes and a smile that can melt ice! Betsy can feel her cheeks blush at his view of her and she smiles inwardly. She puts her coffee down and sits up straight, arching her back and stretching her toned arms.

**Psylocke:** 'Well what's on for today?'

**Shuuhei:** 'I really don't know; I was hoping your friends had something in mind to deal with Thanos. Captain Kurotsuchi is probably still running tests to see how we can beat him.'

**Psylocke:** 'I'll go see what Dr. Strange wants to do. I'll catch up with you a little later; don't miss me to bad.'

**Shuuhei:** 'I'll try not too.'

He cracks a smile in her direction as she gets up and walks out of his quarters. Some of the other lower ranked soul reapers in the ninth squad see her exiting their lieutenant's place and she plays with her hair as she catches their thoughts. _Whoa! Since when did Lieutenant Hisagi get a girlfriend? _ Another reaper thinks; _I haven't seen her around before. I don't think she's in our squad, her sleeves aren't cut off!_ Still another one's thoughts can be heard; _she's one of the humans for sure; I'd remember a beauty like that if I've seen her before!_ She then leaves the confines of squad nine and looks for the sorcerer supreme.

Stephen Strange hovers crossed-legged two feet in the air in a large room, deep in a meditative trance. In his mind's world the mystic confers with three individuals known as the Vishanti; Hoggoth; Lord of hosts, Oshtur; the omnipotent Lady of the skies, and Agamotto; the All-Seeing.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I come seeking an audience with the great Vishanti to ask for guidance.'

These three individuals are the main essence of the sorcerer's power and they govern most of the energies that he harnesses. Their true forms are unknown to even Dr. Strange; they are incomprehensible to humans and they take on guises the human mind can identify with. As they appear before Stephen, the Vishanti are twenty times larger than he is and each has a different form. Agamotto takes the form of a giant tiger with blazing red eyes and an Ankh in the middle of its forehead. Hoggoth; in this form is a bald man with purple skin, pointed ears and pupil-less eyes that burn with brilliant blue energy. Oshtur is a woman with long blue hair and her skin resembles the Earth's skies; her eyes are like stars.

**Hoggoth:** 'What is it that you seek sorcerer?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I have been made aware of new energies and magicks in this world that I now reside in; I seek your blessing in harnessing and controlling these energies.'

The figures do not speak for a time and in his mind it is silent. Finally Stephen gets an answer.

**Agamotto:** 'We are aware of the threat you and your allies face and for the time being we will allow you to harness this energy. Be warned, mystic, that should you abuse this power, there will be grave consequences. This is not your timeline or dimension; do not get too accustomed to your new found power.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I understand and I thank you for your blessings.'

**Oshtur:** 'Know this Stephen Strange; when we beckon, you would do well to heed our call.'

The three powerful forms vanish from the sorcerer's mind and he closes his eyes. When he opens them he is back in the candle-lit room. The sun is beginning to shine through his windows and with a wave of his hand; the candle's flames are extinguished! He once again touches his feet to solid ground and as he does, there comes a light tap on the door.

**Sasakibe:** 'Dr. Strange, are you in there? I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time.'

Stephen walks over to the door and slides it open as he stands aside to let the lieutenant of the first squad in. The well-kept soul reaper nods and steps through the doorway.

**Dr. Strange:** 'What can I do for you lieutenant?'

**Sasakibe:** 'I want to apologize if I've come across cold or rude to you over the last couple of days. You clearly have great knowledge of the monster that is plaguing soul society and I know you and your friends are only here to help.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'You have no reason to apologize friend; at the time you were made aware of me, I was an intruder into your captain's meeting room. You reacted as I would have if the situation was reversed.'

The soul reaper nods and continues.

**Sasakibe:** 'Very well. Actually I came here for another reason as well. In your world, you come from the west correct?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'America, yes; I live in New York along with most of the others I brought with me. Why do you ask?'

**Sasakibe:** 'I have a great love for the west you see, and I was hoping you could educate me more in your customs!'

Dr. Strange is caught a little off guard by this man's request but smiles none the less.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I would be happy to, Choujirou.'

The silver-haired lieutenant smiles at the sorcerer but before they leave the room, Dr. Strange stops as he gets a telepathic greeting from his teammate. _Stephen? Do you 'ave any plans for today? _The lieutenant looks quizzically at his companion and gets a response in the form of an index finger being held up. _I really did not have anything planned today, Betsy. I was just meeting with the head captain's lieutenant and I was about to teach him a little about our culture._ He waits for her reply. _Wow, really? I wonder if it'd be good to do a little searching around the barrier you put up; just to see if there's any trace of Thanos._ The mystic thinks back; _if that is what you wish, but I have yet to detect any movement around the barrier._ This time the ninja's thoughts come back slightly annoyed. _I don't like this doctor; Thanos is planning something big, I can feel it._ He agrees with her intuition; _you may be right my dear. I can not feel him at all so he must be somewhere my energies can not reach. I will talk to Genryusai when I have finished my business with the lieutenant to see if he knows where Thanos could be hiding. _ He feels her mind leave his and he turns back to the patient soul reaper.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Terribly sorry about that; my teammate, Psylocke and I, were having a discussion on the possible location of Thanos.'

**Sasakibe:** 'It's quite alright; though I do wonder how that works. Your lips did not move and yet you said you were having a conversation with someone.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'It is called telepathy. Where my companions and I come from, some individual are born with powers that set them apart from others. Being able to speak with one's mind is one of two abilities she possesses.'

**Sasakibe: **'She's the one that fought with Lieutenant Hisagi. She has tele- kinesis too right?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Precisely. Now; what do you say we start your cultural immersion?'

The two walk out of the room and towards Choujirou's quarters.

The jade giant and the canucklehead face off about ten feet from each other. The wind gently blows dust and light debris between the two sparring buddies. Wolverine has taken off his kimono top and stands there with only his black flowing pants and sockless sandals on. Every hair on his bare body feels the wind caress over him and his nerves become alive with the anticipation of battle. Hulk stands across from him with his gigantic arms folded across his massive chest.

**Hulk:** 'You ready, "Harry"?

**Wolverine:** 'Who the hell's "Harry"?

**Hulk:** 'Don't you watch TV? That show that used to come on; "Harry and the Henderson's"? You're hairy like big foot; the show's about Sasquatch comin' to live with a regular family… You know what? Never mind; let's just start already.'

**Wolverine:** 'I didn't know ya liked shows like that bub.'

Logan grins at Hulk who frowns at the little man's jokes.

**Hulk:** 'Before I rearrange your face, I wanna know how you want to do this. How much pain do you want me to inflict on your sorry butt?'

**Wolverine:** 'Eh, how 'bout, I won't pop the claws an' we fight kinda serious.'

**Hulk:** 'Whatever; you know I'm not good at holding back right?'

**Wolverine:** 'Then this should be fun fer the both of us!'

With the verbal sparring over, Logan rushes the bigger man. Having fought the green goliath for longer than probably any other person alive, Wolverine knows exactly how his opponent fights. He instinctively rolls under a monstrous right hook and comes up next to the giant's left knee cap; which he punches with all the strength his mutant muscles can produce! A solid metallic "ting" rings out around the two combatants as the Hulk's knee barely moves! Wolverine ignores the pain in his right hand and thinks; _that woulda shattered my entire arm if my bones weren't laced with adamantium!_ He dodges the same leg the knee he just punched belongs to as Hulk tries to punt the shorter man into the Rukon District!

**Wolverine:** 'Whoa! I thought you said we weren't tryin' ta kill each other?'

**Hulk:** 'I thought you heard me when I said I don't know how to hold back?'

Logan again feels the air around him become almost tangible as Hulk lunges for him once more! He uses this feeling and tries to "grab" the air to pull him self out of harms reach. For a fleeting second it works, and Hulk's range misses him.

**Hulk:** 'What's that you did just now?'

**Wolverine:** 'I don't know bub; ever since we showed up here I've been slowly able to "feel" the air around me. Can't ya feel it Hulk; I mean somethin' different here than back home?'

**Hulk:** 'I don't really know… That guy Kenpachi's been in my face almost from the moment we got here so I haven't had much time to really "feel anything out".'

As the conversation ends the massive Hulk throw another huge fist at Logan's head and he blocks the blow with the back of his forearms. The force of the attack still sends Wolverine into the air, landing in a cloud of dust thirty feet yards away! The feral mutant gets up and dusts his pants off and again charges! Quickly the berserker closes the distance between the two and Hulk tries to catch the smaller man with his left hand. Wolverine avoids his vice-like grip by jumping and landing on the green goliath's arm. Without losing a step, he sprints up the arm and knees Hulk square in the nose! Another loud "ting" can be heard through the surrounding area. Hulk momentarily staggers back, shaking his head. Wolverine lets the momentum of his attack carry him over the back of his opponent as he flips in mid-air and lands in a crouch. Hulk turns around and faces the feral man once more.

**Hulk:** 'Not bad, runt.'

He grins menacingly at Wolverine and stomps the ground, sending a tremor towards the little man! Logan automatically jumps into the air to avoid the breaking ground, and is suddenly tackled to the ground by the fifteen hundred pound mammoth! Their impact creates a small crater in the earth and Hulk punches Wolverine once in the face and as he gets up, stomps on his midsection with a huge bare foot!. He turns and walks away, dramatically dusting off his hands when he hears a cough and the sound of rock moving.

**Wolverine:** 'I'm not done with ya yet bub.'

The little man is dirty and is covered in barely visible wounds that have almost finished healing. Hulk grins at him and shrugs as he takes up a fighting stance. Logan rushes the giant again and once more ducks under a massive punch from Hulk. The gamma-irradiated creature takes a swipe with the same arm that threw the initial punch; and brings it back towards Wolverine with alarming speed! Logan back flips over the assault and throws out a roundhouse kick to Hulk's large jaw! Once he touches the ground he leaps back into the air, grabbing Hulk by his left shoulder and punching him hard in the throat! He then uses Hulk's chest as a spring board and gives him self some breathing room, as he surveys his handy work. As he pauses for a moment, the wind changes and he picks up two very familiar scents not too far away. He crouches down and whispers to his sparring partner who has recovered from Logan's combination.

**Wolverine:** 'Hey bub, we got us a couple o' birds watchin' us.'

**Hulk:** 'What're you talkin' about little man?'

**Wolverine:** 'Don't look; but behind ya and 'bout a hundred yards off, Soi Fon an' Yoruichi are scoutin' us.'

Hulk turns around and Wolverine sighs.

**Wolverine:** 'I told ya not ta turn around!'

**Hulk:** 'When you tell someone not to do something, chances are they're gonna do it!'

Suddenly the two women who Logan just spotted appear in between the two combatants! Yoruichi looks up at the seven foot Hulk and, seeing him up close for the first time, gawks momentarily before regaining her composure. Soi Fon stands next to her, with her arms folded into her kimono, and acknowledges Logan with a slight nod of her head. The taller of the two women speaks;

**Yoruichi:** 'Your eyes are pretty good Logan. We heard some noise that sounded like battle and thought we would check it out. That's when we found you two.'

**Hulk:** 'So; you found us, what do you want?'

**Soi Fon:** 'Do not take that tone with Yoruichi-sama!'

Hulk raises an eyebrow at the small woman that is yelling at him.

**Wolverine:** 'I wouldn't take it personally big green; she's that way with everyone.'

The small captain shoots a venomous look at Logan who holds up his hands in mock surrender. She huffs and turns her head away in frustration.

**Yoruichi:** 'The two of us were wondering if we could join in on your male bonding time. Say; girls versus boys in a friendly scrimmage?'

Hulk lets out a deep but short laugh.

**Hulk:** 'No offense but I don't wanna accidentally step on either one of you.'

**Yoruichi:** 'Afraid to lose to a couple of girls?'

**Wolverine:** 'Come on Hulk, what'dya say? I'm the best there is at what I do and you're the strongest one there is; we can take 'em.'

Hulk sighs, believing this is just a big waste of time, but nods his head in agreement.

**Hulk:** 'Don't make me regret this, runt.'

**Wolverine:** 'You'll be thankin' me after ya see how they fight.'

The two females stand next to each other and face their heroic counterparts. Yoruichi playfully smirks at her companion and the small captain nods back at her. Wolverine and Hulk each take up a defensive stance as the two women rush towards them! Before the ladies reach their targets, they use flash step and cross paths, instantly switching opponents! Yoruichi now faces off against Logan and Soi Fon takes on the massive Hulk.

**Wolverine:** 'Oh crap.'

He doesn't even see the kick that he feels strike his temple as he's sent rolling a few yards after the blow! Soi Fon uses her speed as well against her larger ally. She darts around, landing quick strikes with her fists and feet to Hulk's body. The attacks of the little captain don't do much damage and are more of an annoyance to the jade giant than anything else. He stands his ground, swatting his huge fists at his attacker just after each blow is landed.

**Soi Fon:** 'You are big, but you lack grace and speed!'

**Hulk:** 'I'll show you my speed as soon as I get a hold of you.'

**Soi Fon:** 'Ha, if you were any slower, you would be motionless. Your strength means nothing if you can't hit me, green one!'

Wolverine picks him self up off the ground and wipes blood from his now healed head wound. He looks over at his smirking, golden-eyed attacker.

**Yoruichi:** 'Had enough?'

**Wolverine:** 'Are ya kiddin' me darlin'? I don't think I could ever get enough of ya.'

She closes her eyes and right before Logan's keen eyesight and reflexes; she vanishes from her position and comes within an inch of the gruff man's face! Startled by her amazing speed and her closeness, he blinks momentarily and is swept off his feet again; this time by a kick to the back of his knees! He lands hard on the ground but he uses his momentum to roll back to his feet still grinning but more annoyed.

**Wolverine:** Those're some pretty fancy moves ya got there darlin'.'

**Yoruichi:** 'I'm not known as the goddess of flash for nothing, Logan-san.'

**Wolverine:** '"Goddess of flash" huh? I wish I was on yer team when we did the simulation with Thanos. I like Shunsui an' all but he just wouldn't fight serious.'

**Yoruichi:** 'That sounds like Captain Kyoraku; for all the years I've known him, he's always been somewhat of a pacifist. Don't mistake his calm demeanor for lack of skill, however; he was one of Genryusai's first graduates and was trained by the head-captain himself.'

**Wolverine:** 'The man wields two swords; I have an appreciation for people that can use dual blades in battle.'

Once again as the woman comes at Logan with her offense, he can feel the world around him. This time it seems to slow her movements down just a fraction and he can see her attack! He blocks her kick with his adamantium laden forearm as he leads in with his left hand to her cheek. Surprise washes over her face as he blocks her attack, but even more shock is evident when he stops just before he makes contact with her perfect skin. The wind of the would-be blow makes the "cat ear" wisps of hair on the side of her face dance. She skips back several yards eyeing her sparring partner.

**Yoruichi:** 'Mmm; you're even better than Soi said. You shouldn't hold back on me though; it'll cost you.'

**Wolverine:** 'Eh, this is just sparrin' and I can't bring myself ta hit ya.'

Soi Fon continues to use the same swift attack pattern on the Hulk as she skips around him.

**Soi Fon:** 'This is boring; you are boring Hulk; how do you plan on fighting someone faster than you if you can not hit them?'

**Hulk:** 'I've dealt with some speedy annoyances in my time but I think you're the worst. You wanna see how I handle speed? I do… This!'

He waits until the little captain is in front of him as he extends his full wing span and brings his hands together in a large clap that creates a massive concussive backlash, hitting the soul reaper with the pressure and sending her flying right into her distracted partner! The two women tumble twice; with Soi Fon landing on top of her former captain. The black-haired woman blushes as her mentor looks up at her. They slowly get up and Yoruichi tosses her long auburn ponytail back over her shoulders. Besides bruised egos, the two are unharmed.

**Yoruichi:** 'Well that was fun while it lasted. Still; Logan, I'm curious as to how you saw my movements.'

**Wolverine:** 'It's like I keep sayin'; I can "feel" this world. I don't know what else ta say.'

**Yoruichi:** 'Maybe I'll have a talk with Yamamoto and see if we can harness your natural senses into something more tangible. If you could do that, I think you'd be a scary person.'

**Wolverine:** 'What; ya mean I'm not scary already?'

The two share a laugh; with Hulk rumbling and even Soi Fon smiling a bit. As the four of them start to walk off together in the mid-morning sun, Dr. Strange's astral form manifests itself in front of them!

**Dr. Strange:** 'My barrier has been breached! Thanos has made a move; hurry to the south of the Rukon District. That is where the titan will be.'

The four companions look at each other as the ghost image fades. Hulk and Wolverine follow Yoruichi and Soi Fon to their destination. All the light-hearted joking has vanished and it is replaced by steeled determination!

**Editor's Note: Thanos makes a move! Read and review; tell me what you think!**


	20. An Overwhelming Change

**Marvel/Bleach**

**An Overwhelming Change  
**

After coming down from the mountain, Thor spends the early morning walking around the Rukon District. He travels the shops and various markets that line the streets as he watches the many citizens go about their daily lives. Most of the people that he passes ignore the large blonde god, but there are a few that stop and stare as he passes. As the people in the crowded streets look on, the god of thunder once again takes his mighty hammer from his belt and throws it into the air; taking flight. The Asgardian gets half way back to Sei Rei Tei when he is visited in mid-air by Dr. Strange's astral form!

**Thor:** 'Good sorcerer! What hath transpired for thee to visit me in this way?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Thanos has surfaced! He is just south of your position. The others are already on their way; I will meet you shortly.'

**Thor:** 'Aye.'

While in mid-air; Thor turns his body and uses his immense strength to re-throw his hammer in a new direction, hurtling towards his enemy with great speed!

The Sorcerer Supreme uses his astral form to project his warning to all the captains and their lieutenants as well as Psylocke. Through his Eye of Agamotto, he can see them rushing to the location that he has given them. With a look of determination; he too teleports to the south region of the Rukon district where finally they can confront Thanos's evil.

The god of thunder being the closest arrives to face the titan just seconds after Dr. Strange walks out of thin air. The mad titan is seventy-five yards away with hundreds of hollow in varying forms and degrees of mass. The two men can also see his new hollow interspersed within the others that are gathered. They no longer have any soul reaper clothing on and they mostly all look human with titan-like armor and masks adorning their bodies. Thor turns to Stephen as he observes this new metamorphosis.

**Thor:** 'Only days have passed and yet Thanos's minions be different.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I was afraid of him learning too much too quickly. His mind is arguably the most feared weapon that he has in his possession.'

**Thor:** 'Agreed.'

Thanos can see the heroes across the distance and they hear him laughing as he begins to speak.

**Thanos:** 'I anticipated resistance with my grand scheme, but I am surprised by seeing only two misguided fools getting in my way.'

As he finishes his mockery of the heroes two more individuals show up; Renji Abarai and his captain, Byakuya Kuchiki. Thanos cocks his head at the newcomers and smiles wide; revealing his teeth. An instant later the four are joined by even more arrivals; the large fox, Captain Komamura and his lieutenant. Ikkaku, Yumichika, Lieutenant Hisagi and Psylocke also join the growing numbers. Omaeda is the next to materialize, and he brings with him fifteen members of the stealth force. Thanos just stands there grinning menacingly as more and more arrive to confront the defiler of their world. Yoruichi and Soi Fon appear on the other side of Dr. Strange and Thor and a minute later Hulk and Wolverine run up to join the front line. The titan looks at Dr. Strange and speaks again.

**Thanos:** 'That is more like the sorcerer I know. But tell me; how do you plan on waging war with just these weaklings?'

Stephen doesn't answer the titan as the lieutenants of the third and tenth squads emerge; along with Rangiku's captain, Toshiro Hitsugaya. Only minutes have passed and almost every one is accounted for. Genryusai Yamamoto and two of his oldest students; Jushiro Ukitake and Shunsui Kyoraku, surface alongside the others as everyone stands ready to fight.

**Dr. Strange:** 'There does not have to be a war, titan!'

**Thanos:** 'Your cry for peace falls on deaf ears, magician. I came here to destroy this world for my Mistress, and you came here to stop me. I will not yield; will you?'

**Thor:** 'Nay, monster; we whilst surely not.'

The titan's laugh echoes throughout the area and when he stops he holds out a gloved hand and closes it into a fist. The gathered hollow move as one as they advance toward the allied heroes and soul reapers.

**Yamamoto:** 'This is what we practiced for! Fight with every ounce of strength that you possess and destroy this abomination!'

The soul reapers, captain and lieutenant alike, move as well. The heroes follow suit and they too move to meet the advancing hollow. Dark rolling thunder clouds form and cover the once bright morning sky. Lightning ripples in the heavens as rain begins to saturate the dry ground. Thor summons an enormous bolt of electricity which comes crashing down; decimating ten hollow instantly! Renji is heard over the rumbling thunder as he too releases his zanbakutou;

**Renji:** 'Roar, Zabimaru!'

His katana grows in length and width as he throws it out like a whip at three advancing foes. The first two see the attack and dodge the blow; however, the third one gets caught by Zabimaru and is sliced clean through as if it were made of paper! The two who evaded Abarai's first attack start to charge cero from their mouths and just as they are about to release the red energy, they too are cut down by a returning Zabimaru!

Ikkaku and Yumichika are back to back surrounded by ten hollow. They glance at each other and the third seat smirks while the fifth seat rolls his eyes. The two friends release their and the third seat smirks while the fifth seat rolls his eyes. The two friends release their Shikai almost simultaneously, transforming their zanbakutou!

**Ikkaku:** 'Extend, Hozukimaru!'

**Yumichika:** 'Bloom, Fuji Kujaku.'

The two soul reapers separate as they split their attackers and make short work of them. The lieutenant of squad two unleashes his Shikai, and the fifteen ninja-clad soul reapers he brought with him join the fray. Deceptively quick for a man of his girth, Omaeda destroys three hollow by himself. The members of his team surround an unusually large adversary and attempt to subdue it with their combined numbers. Its hide is surprisingly resilient and the attacks they unleash do little damage. Four more hollow join the larger one and soon the fifteen reapers are cut down! The lieutenant manages to take out one of the five hollow with a kidou assault but is then sent flying from a direct hit from the larger hollow's cero! Wolverine and Yoruichi join the battle by teaming up to take out the remaining three with little resistance. The two of them are dwarfed by the larger hollow's stature but its size doesn't intimidate either one as they both smirk and attack as one! Logan viciously slices away at the armor-like skin of the hollow. At first his attacks glance off, creating sparks; but within minutes the feral mutant's assault finds an opening in between the monster's elbow joint. With one quick motion, the hollow's arm is removed cleanly by Wolverine's foot-long, razor sharp claws! Dark blood sprays out and covers the short mutant's chest and right arm. Yoruichi flash steps behind the creature and throws out a devastating punch that explodes through the hollow's neck! More blood paints Logan's face as he looks at the woman through their vaporizing foe. She winks at him before vanishing to engage other hollow. Soi Fon deftly weaves through six of her adversaries and within seconds they disintegrate. The speed of her movements is so great that it looks as if she doesn't even draw her sword! Hulk leaps from his position and lands in the middle of twenty closely nit hollow and the sheer force of his entry is enough to send most of them sailing! He roars and unleashes a volley of strikes at the few who are left and with each blow, he destroys them. Komamura unleashes his Shikai and devastates his own group of advancing enemies. With each punch, the disembodied fists leave enormous smoking craters in the surrounding earth. His lieutenant also unleashes his zanbakutou takes on five of his own hollow. From Dr. Strange's vantage point, Iba takes out two of them with kidou and destroys another with his blade. He is then struck from behind by a large cero! Before the two remaining hollow can follow up the attack, the lieutenant of the ninth squad comes to his fellow soul reaper's aid. Psylocke hears the man call out to his wicked zanbakutou.

**Shuuhei:** 'Reap, Kazeshini!'

The twin sickle-like blades form in his experienced hands as he destroys his over-matched opponents. Psylocke smiles proudly and telekinetically forms a katana in each hand as she too engages in battle. Without breaking her stride, she mentally blocks four simultaneous cero blasts and strikes each one of her opponents down. Betsy forms a telekinetic spike and pierces one of her foes through the forehead! She cleaves another in half with one of her swords and takes the third one down by forming a box of telekinetic energy around its head as it fires off another cero from its mouth; the attack is enough to destroy the hollow as it vaporizes where it stands! The fourth hollow is slightly faster as it evades her quick slashes. She swings once more at her foe and it again steps back to dodge her attack. This time, however, Psylocke puts up a wall of pure energy behind her opponent and when it dodges, it runs up against the invisible barrier. Surprised by the halt of its back peddle, the creature hesitates and Betsy takes her katana and stabs the hollow directly in the hole located on its chest! Nothing happens until she brings the sword outward, slicing the creature up and through it's neck and head! As the many battles rage on, the god of thunder has started to make it rain and as the precipitation builds, Toshiro Hitsugaya can be heard awakening his zanbakutou.

**Toshiro:** 'Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyourinmaru!'

The very air around the captain freezes over wherever he moves and a few of the hollow that attack the boy are instantly frozen before they can lay a claw on him! Dr. Strange observes the captain of the tenth squad as he looks surprised by the increase of power that Thor has given him by making it rain. He adapts quickly to the new surge as he quickly dispatches ten more hollow with ease! About half of Thanos's forces have been destroyed as Ichigo finally arrives to the battlefield. With his back turned to Yamamoto and Dr. Strange, the young man speaks to the captain.

**Ichigo:** 'Sorry I'm late, old man, Kenpachi wouldn't let me leave until I gave him a quick fight. He'll be here soon I think.'

**Yamamoto:** 'Mmm.'

The orange-haired substitute vanishes and joins the fray.

**Yamamoto:** 'Ichigo Kurosaki.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Does something trouble you about the boy, captain?'

**Yamamoto:** 'No; he is still young and his manners need work, but I believe he has unlimited potential. Let's see if he can handle Thanos.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I can sense his strength but I would caution you to use him alone against the titan.'

The head captain turns back towards the battle that rages on as Stephen does the same. Kurosaki lays waste to ten of his own hollow before laying eyes on Thanos for the first time. Wolverine's the closest to the young man and he sees determination in his eyes.

**Ichigo:** 'You picked the wrong time to try and destroy us, monster.'

**Thanos:** 'Did I? Your idea of timing means nothing to me. I simply take what I want and the decision to resist me is up to the individual. If you believe your life to be meaningless, then I shall end it quickly for you, and step over your rotting corps.'

Ichigo tenses at Thanos's goading and before he makes a move, Logan shoots out a hand and stops the eager youth.

**Wolverine:** 'Careful, boy; Thanos has all kinds 'o tricks ta make ya loose yer cool.'

**Ichigo:** 'Don't worry 'bout me!'

He jerks his arm away from the shorter man's strong grasp and holds his sword out in front of him; allowing the long bandage-like wrap to wind around his outstretched right arm. Thanos just smiles at the unwavering soul reaper. Dust and debris begins to violently swirl around Ichigo's feet, followed by an intense blue energy! Logan steps back at the release of power the human is emitting.

**Ichigo:** 'Bankai.'

The power that was, seconds ago so violent, seems to suck inward and engulf Kurosaki! After the smoke and light dies down Ichigo's kimono has become more form fitting around the arms and the bottom flares out almost cape-like and the ends are ripped and torn. His zanbakutou has undergone the most change, however, and instead of the bulky heavy sword that he carried before; it has changed into a long black-bladed weapon with a small black chain attached to the end of the handle.

**Ichigo:** 'Tensa Zangetsu.'

**Thanos:** '"Bankai"? What an impressive display for something so little.'

The powered up Ichigo vanishes and reappears right in front of the titan who still doesn't look impressed. Right before Ichigo attacks with his new speed and power, Thanos seems to disappear! A surprised Ichigo misses with his attack and the titan appears behind the orange-haired soul reaper!

**Wolverine:** 'What the hell?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Thanos must have brought his teleporter with him!'

Shunsui and Jushiro appear next to Wolverine and the eighth captain speaks up.

**Shunsui:** 'That's not teleportation; that's "sonido".'

**Ukitake:** 'It is an Arrancar technique that is, more or less, equivalent to flash step.'

**Wolverine:** 'How the hell would he know how to use that? The guy's smart but we've been here just as long as he has!'

Before anyone can answer Logan's question, they witness Thanos fire off a double blast of plasma from his gauntleted hands! The attack misses their ally who uses flash step to avoid the energy. He powers up his sword and blue energy engulfs the blade.

**Ichigo:** 'Getsuga Tenshou!'

He swings his sword hard in the direction of his larger adversary and the force of the attack overwhelms Thanos's form! Smoke and debris litter the area where the titan stood and everyone who is watching looks on in shock and wonder.

**Hulk:** 'No way that beat him.'

As the wind and rain blow the cover of dust away; a large, deep crater is seen starting a few feet from Ichigo's position and growing in length and depth to where the last bit of smoke is billowing.

**Thanos:** 'Impudent whelp.'

The final bit of smoke clears away and the full extent of the damaged ground can be seen. Where Thanos is, the ground is split into a "V" pattern and trails off ten yards past Ichigo's opponent. Psylocke catches the boy's thoughts as Thanos is revealed not having a scratch on him from the assault! _No way! That was a full Getsuga Tenshou he took at close range!_ The titan's hand is smoking slightly from the blast but he is otherwise, unscathed.

**Thanos:** 'Was that the best you are capable of? It was… disappointing. Very well; I will now show you my best.'

The titan stands there frowning as nothing seems to happen; then suddenly Ichigo doubles over clutching at the sides of his head!

**Thanos:** 'What an interesting mind you have. Tell me; how many of your friends know about your other self? Allow me to introduce him to them!'

He uses sonido once more and closes the distance between him and the incapacitated soul reaper and back hands him hard across the face, sending him crashing into the ground! As Ichigo slowly stirs in the newly formed crater, Wolverine and Hulk simultaneously rush their foe!

**Thanos:** 'Fools; have you not bore witness already that my power exceeds what you have seen before? You might as well be standing still.'

He fires off another blast of cosmically charged energy at Wolverine; hitting him in the side and ripping a hole straight through his kidney, sending him back in the process! As Hulk nears his target, the titan smiles and disappears! The jade giant's momentum carries him past the spot where Thanos had just been and as he stops; his foe reappears and touches the base of his skull.

**Thanos:** 'I may not be powerful enough to control you, Hulk, but I don't need control a weapon; I just need to point in the desired direction.'

He then unleashes another devastating psychic assault; this time on the strongest one there is! Hulk lets out a cry of rage and pain as the psychic backlash washes over him. He staggers while bending at the waist and holding his head. Thanos backs away from his work and puts his right hand out slightly behind him.

**Thanos:** 'I gave you but a taste of my new power, heroes; the next time we meet, I will end all of you.'

Slowly his hand glows with a white-blue energy and behind him, a portal opens up to him. It takes on an oval-ish shape and looks as if it rips the very fabric of space to make a doorway into a black nothingness! Before he steps into the dimension, he allows thirty-five more of his altered hollow to enter soul society to join his remaining army. As the gateway closes, the gathered allies are left to see only Thanos's wicked smile.

**Ukitake:** 'That monster just used sonido and opened up a Garganta?'

**Shunsui:** 'He's learned quite a lot since he's been here.'

Logan, who is lying in a pool of his own blood, trying to keep his insides from spilling out, yells out to the captains of the eighth and thirteenth squads.

**Wolverine:** 'Are ya done – cough – analyzin'? Hulk's gone berserk an' ya better get yer asses in gear! Ungh! Ya can't hold back on 'em or he'll rip ya ta shreds!'

He props himself on one knee and pulls his hand out of his healing wound. Captain Hitsugaya flash steps to Logan's side and with a weary look, touches the tip of his blade to the hairy man's wound. Instantly a sheet of ice encases the area and acts as a hard bandage!

**Wolverine:** 'What the? It's cold as hell but it works I guess. Thanks, bub.'

The boy captain nods and turns back to the chaotic scene unfolding in front of him.

**Toshiro:** 'Hulk is a great ally; I don't think we want to kill him.'

**Wolverine:** 'Trust me kid, ya ain't gonna kill him. He's like a giant baby when he gets like this. The only way to stop him is to let him burn himself out.'

**Toshiro:** '…Very well.'

As Toshiro flash steps away, Logan sees Thor already bringing the fight to the enraged beast.

**Wolverine:** 'There ya go goldilocks.'

A glowing black energy seems to swirl around Ichigo as he gets to his hands and knees from the shot he took before Thanos departed. He looks up and Psylocke sees the left side of his face is now covered with a white mask with red patterns adorning it. She notices his eyes have completely changed as well; no longer do they have determined compassion but now look like they belong to a killer! The color of his eyes has changed from brown to yellow, and the sclera has become an inky black. His smile is wicked and wild as he seems to lock his mad stare onto the captain of the sixth squad, Byakuya Kuchiki. Psylocke follows his eyes and sees the noble glare at the seemingly transformed Ichigo.

**Byakuya:** 'You again.'

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'Did ya miss me?'

**Byakuya:** 'You are nothing but an annoyance.'

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'I'll show ya "annoying"!'

**Editor's Note: I personally hate leaving you with a cliff hanger this big, but I couldn't resist; considering what I have in store for the rest of this battle! It's a little short, but bare with me because I think you will enjoy what's next. Happy Reading!**


	21. Loss

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Loss  
**

Psylocke bares witness to this frightening thing that has taken over Ichigo's body and realizes that this is the presence that she has felt several times! She thinks to herself as she watches this new form attack Byakuya; _'is speech pattern 'as changed as well as his fighting stance. 'E's more wild and reckless; almost like 'e has no care for the wounds 'e will receive! _ As "Ichigo" closes the distance between he and Kuchiki, the captain of the sixth squad draws his sword for what seems like the very first time. He holds it in front of him with the blade pointing at the ground as he faces his attacker.

**Byakuya:** 'Bankai.'

He drops the long blade and as Psylocke looks on, the sword passes through the ground, creating a ripple-like effect she would see if she were to drop a stone into a pond. Suddenly, coming out of the ground on both sides of the captain, are multiple blades that cast the area in shadow!

**Byakuya:** 'Scatter, Senbonzakura.'

Instantly the multitude of large swords burst into millions of tiny blades! As the light glints off of them, they turn pink in color, resembling cherry blossoms. Hollow Ichigo stops his advance and charges his sword.

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'Getsuga Tenshou!'

This attack, though similar to Ichigo's attack on Thanos, is black in color and much fiercer looking. Byakuya holds up his hand and the many miniscule shards rush forward and form a sword-like shield around the captain, protecting him from the huge blast of energy! He then directs his attack towards the berserker and completely engulfs him in a sphere of flying razors! Psylocke calls out to the proud noble;

**Psylocke:** 'Judging from your thoughts, I can see you've 'ad dealings with this side of Ichigo before!'

**Byakuya:** 'You have no right to sift through my thoughts, woman.'

**Psylocke:** 'I can end this before you kill each other.'

**Byakuya:** 'A mere human should never lift his blade to strike a captain; I will end him here and now.'

**Psylocke:** '… men.'

She shakes her head and ignores the black-haired soul reaper as she forcibly enters Ichigo's inner world. In her time with the X-Men, Betsy has visited many people's minds, but she has never seen a world like this. Ichigo's mind is a world full of skyscrapers that are… horizontal! Everything in his mind is turned on its side; from the buildings to the clouds. She touches down on the surface of one of the many buildings that make up this haven and looks over to see an imprisoned Ichigo; trapped in a great cage with a Thanos-like face making up the lock that is on the door. Psylocke is back in her X-Men uniform as she starts to run to free the orange-haired soul reaper. He holds out his hand through the bars with a question in his eyes, and then the look is replaced by one of sheer panic!

**Ichigo:** 'Look out!'

Psylocke drops down as she elegantly performs a split and narrowly avoids decapitation by a long white sword! Her attacker has his back to her as he casually props his sword on his shoulder. The telepath looks him over from her crouched position. He is tall and lanky with spikey hair; strikingly similar in build to Ichigo. His hair, body and kimono are white and as the presence turns to smirk at the mutant, she realizes it has Ichigo's face with the same black eyes and yellow irises that she seen in the mask! She stands up and her shock is quickly concealed by a smirk of her own.

**Psylocke:** 'So you're the one who kicked me out earlier. You're not Zangetsu are you?'

The presence tilts his head at the question and smiles wide, flicking his elongated tongue out at the woman.

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'Zangetsu? No, but I do wield his power, girl. You shouldn't be here; this ain't a friendly place at the moment.'

**Psylocke:** 'That's funny; I don't think you're supposed to be here either.'

He looks over to the caged orange-haired soul reaper and snickers.

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'Don't you get it? I'm here cuz he's here.'

The doppelganger swings his zanbakutou violently out to point at his other self.

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'He holds me back though; I'm sure ya saw that guy out there I was fightin' right? I woulda killed him a while back if the "king" woulda just let me go. Come ta think of it; I could be slicin' him ta bits right now if it wasn't fer you!'

He rushes and slashes at her with the speed and ferocity the likes of which she hasn't seen! Though he is quick and powerful, the mind is part of her domain, and she narrowly avoids each slash of his sword. She creates a mental sledgehammer and smashes him hard in the face, driving him deep into a crater, and destroying a level of the building they're on! The mutant quickly steps back and dons psychic armor as she prepares for another assault. With her mind she creates a suit of samurai armor complete with helmet and facemask. She then forms a psychic katana for each hand and readies herself for the quickly rising hollow. As her opponent gets to his feet, she spots a trickle of black blood seeping down his forehead. He smirks at her observation and jerks his white-haired head over to the prisoner. She glances over at his gesture and notices that a trickle of red blood drips down Ichigo's face as well.

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'See? If I get hurt, he gets hurt; if I bleed, he bleeds.'

**Psylocke:** 'Oh; that's going to be a problem.'

Back on the physical plane of soul society, an enraged Hulk has taken out the third and fifth seats of the eleventh squad, the lieutenants of both the second and third squads and twenty hollow who were engaged in battles with the aforementioned soul reapers. Thor looks around and sees that Hulk has also managed to take out the large fox captain as well! He frowns as he throws his enchanted weapon at the beast. The speeding hammer catches the green behemoth dead in the chest and sends him crashing into a large tree, turning it into splinters in the process! Mjllonir magically returns to the outstretched hand of its master, Thor.

**Thor:** 'That be far enough, Hulk.'

The captain of squad ten touches down next to his larger ally and looks at the stirring creature.

**Toshiro:** 'I take it you've had to fight this one before.'

**Thor:** 'Eye; lady fortune doth not smile on either of us this day.'

**Toshiro:** 'I've known Zaraki for a few years and I can tell that Hulk is strong just by his interaction with him.'

**Thor:** 'This creature be one of the strongest I have battled in all reality. If we can not subdue the beast, then mine fear be that Thanos hath already won.'

As the god of thunder finishes speaking they hear a chilling roar from Hulk and then suddenly, the rest of the tree is uprooted and hurled at his two opponents! Toshiro swings his sword at the flying trunk and an ice dragon hits the tree, freezing it instantly. Thor brings his hammer down hard and destroys the projectile, turning it into a thousand shards! Hulk leaps at Thor who mirrors the act and the two collide with each other with enough force to send shockwaves out in a ten foot radius! Hulk swings wildly at the thunder god's head and misses while Odin's Son smashes out the knee of his larger adversary with his great hammer! Hulk grunts in pain and drops to the other knee and comes back with an uppercut that connects with Thor's jaw and sends the caped man flying into the air. Not waiting for the blonde to fall back to earth, Hulk jumps into the air and makes contact again; this time with an enormous double-fisted overhand strike that sends the reeling god hurtling back towards the ground at five times the speed at which he normally would have! Hitsugaya has to lift off of the ground to not be caught in the wave of earth that is upended in the wake of Thor's impact. The jade giant falls back to solid ground with an echoing thud and looks angrily at the small boy. Hulk opens his salivating mouth and snarls at the white-haired captain who clenches his zanbakutou tighter and grits his teeth. Hulk charges the captain with speed and fluidity that the soul reaper didn't expect from one so large. Toshiro flash steps out of the path of the gigantic fist that smashes into the ground where he was just standing! Even though it is still raining, the effect that his spiritual pressure had on the hollow earlier seems to have no effect on the gamma-fueled beast. Hitsugaya slashes at Hulk's redwood-sized thighs and freezes his foe, much like he did when practicing against Thanos. Hulk looks down and roars again as he barely notices the cold, but realizes he can't move. He punches the ground and picks up a huge boulder and hurls it at the captain who deftly dodges the attack! Hulk then brings his fists down hard against the thick ice and shatters it. Hitsugaya uses the long chain with the crescent blade attached to his zanbakutou as a ranged attack by hurling it towards the monster! Hulk lets the little thing hit him in the chest and as it embeds in his thick skin, the area around the blade is engulfed in ice! He looks down at the thing and slowly looks back up at his attacker. He huffs angrily and grabs the chain; as he does, his hands too, are encased in thick, shimmering ice. The green goliath pays no attention to this as he pulls Toshiro and his sword directly towards him with tremendous velocity! Hitsugaya, still stunned by how little his attacks have effected Hulk, barely has time to get up his forearm to block the massive green fist that connects with devastating force to the left side of the captain's head! The force of the blow sounds like thunder and momentarily stops the surrounding battles. Matsumoto, who had just finished off four hollow with the help of a now healed Wolverine, looks up in time to see a dazed Hitsugaya fly over her head and land in a cloud of dust ten feet away!

**Rangiku:** 'Captain!'

**Wolverine:** 'I can still hear his heartbeat, darlin'; the kid'll be fine. Worry 'bout yer own battle, it'll honor him more.'

The two reengage more hollow as the others do the same. Dr. Strange drops to the ground from where he was watching the entire battle take place. He hovers to within fifty feet of the massive Hulk who is heaving violently due to all of the rage that has been turned on by Thanos's mental assault. Strange stretches out his hand towards Hulk's forehead and places his other hand on his own. He closes his eyes and speaks to the beast;

**Dr. Strange:** 'Hulk I need you to let me into your mind. You do not want to let Thanos control you. You can beat him; you are stronger than he is!'

**Hulk:** '…Hulk not controlled… Hulk… ANGRY!

The mental shock from Hulk's words is enough to stagger the sorcerer. He recovers just in time to see the jade giant charging towards him with tremendous momentum! Stephen puts up his hands in an archaic gesture and calls out;

**Dr. Strange:** 'Cyttorak; hear my call, bind this beast so that he may fall!'

Glowing red bands shoot fourth from the amulet that he wears around his neck and entangles the behemoth's lower legs and feet, tripping him in the process and stopping his charge! Hulk still manages to grab the mystic's leg and before Strange can react, the vice-like grip of his opponent crushes the knee and shin of his left leg! Dr. Strange cries out in pain as Hulk tosses him like a ragdoll. With the sorcerer incapacitated, Hulk's bindings disappear and he starts to stand up. His bloodshot eyes lock onto the head captain, who is standing as a witness to the carnage that is all around him, and takes a step forward. Before anything else can happen, Yamamoto has to shield his eyes from the intensity of the bolt of lightning that crashes down from the heavens and strikes the raging Hulk at the top of his massive shoulder blades! The electricity travels through his body and out of every appendage as the green goliath screams out in pain and anger!

**Thor:** 'Yon reign of terror ends now!'

As Hulk braces his weight on his hands and knees, his ears and nose drip green blood and he breaths out heavily, exhaling smoke. He gets to one knee as he hears an icy, determined voice above him.

**Toshiro:** 'Bankai.'

The air instantly drops to below freezing, and a film of frost starts to build on the Hulk's green skin. He looks up to see the white-haired boy captain, standing in mid-air, fifty feet above him. His left temple is bleeding, and behind his teal eyes, a storm rages. When Hulk breaths out again, the smoke is replaced by condensation and his hair starts to freeze as well.

**Toshiro:** 'Daiguren Hyourinmaru!'

The skies seem to get even darker as the rain that Thor had summoned is now turned into sleet and hale. Giant wings of solid ice form around the captain's shoulders and spread out to give him a ten foot wingspan. Along his spine, a tail of pure ice appears, lashing out violently. A gauntlet of ice forms around his right hand, encasing Hyourinmaru's hilt in the shape of a dragon's head. Hitsugaya's legs also become sheathed in pure blue ice with large talons forming at his feet. Behind him and floating in mid-air, are twelve large purple, petal-like extensions of the tenth captain's power. He raises his sword high above his head and speaks;

**Toshiro:** 'Guncho Tsurara!'

He swings his sword down hard and a hundred ice "knives" fly out of his sword and stabs the creature all over his large frame! Hulk roars as he doubles his stature and expels the ice that has punctured his green hide! He bends his massive legs and rockets into the air to meet Hitsugaya head on. Taken completely by surprised, Toshiro's eyes go blank as Hulk smashes his huge fist straight through the captain! Ice and cloth litter the area as the green goliath lands in a crouch and locks eyes with the unharmed white-haired soul reaper. At this Hulk pauses momentarily and looks at the now melting "cloth" and ice shards.

**Toshiro:** 'I'm sorry I underestimated your speed, Hulk; I did not want to use that technique if I could have helped it. Right before you made contact with me, I created an ice clone. It takes a lot of concentration and I can use it only once per transformation.'

**Hulk:** '… Silly tricks… make you… laugh at Hulk. HULK STRONGEST ONE THERE IS!'

He again rushes his smaller foe and just before he gets to him Hulk is struck hard in the temple with Mjllonir! The force of the blow spins him around and he staggers and falls to one knee, shaking his head. The hammer once again returns to its owner and Thor touches down next to his small ally.

**Toshiro:** 'No matter what we do, he won't stop attacking! Thanos knew this and that's why he left us to battle our allies.'

**Thor:** 'Thanos tis vile indeed. Hulk doth possess great fortitude and it be only our greatest attacks that will win the day.'

Hulk gets back up as he convulses with anger and stalks his two foes.

**Toshiro:** 'I may have an idea that will stop him long enough for us to figure out what to do next.'

**Thor:** 'Let us hope that it works, Captain Hitsugaya.'

Before the Hulk can get any closer the white-haired soul reaper points his zanbakutou at Hulk and calls out;

**Toshiro:** 'Sennen Hyourou!'

A multitude of thick ice pillars form from the moisture in the air around their temporary adversary, freezing Hulk inside the prison of solid ice! Silence falls around the two warriors as Hulk's frame is frozen and his facial features are contorted into a mask of rage and anger. Thor nods at the captain who lets out a sigh of relief and they turn to help clean up the remaining hollow and to assist in taking care of the wounded.

Back in Ichigo's inner world, Psylocke has her hands full with a fully powered hollow Ichigo. She manages to block most of his fast, furious strikes with her telekinesis but her astral body is starting to get tired!

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'What's the matter? You're not quittin' on me are ya?'

He lets out a chilling laugh as he presses his advantage. Ichigo's dark side takes a swing with Tensa Zangetsu, aiming for the female's head, as the mutant barely dodges his strike! The razor sharp blade does, however, manage to slice half of her helm! Her purple locks flow outward as her head piece disintegrates as it leaves her mental body. The crazed boy points the tip of his sword at her and licks his lips.

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'What happens ta that pretty little face on the outside if I cut it up in here?' I'm dyin' ta find out!'

**Ichigo:** 'Stop it! She doesn't have anything to do with this!'

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'You stay in yer little cage, "king", while I finish her off. Then we'll fight and I'll take my place as Zangetsu's true master!' He holds the white blade down by his side and black energy begins to swirl around it. The hollow swings the sword forward while screaming;

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'Getsuga Tenshou!'

Psylocke's eyes widen as a large spiraling, crescent-shaped wave of energy speeds towards her! Using both hands, she brings up a thick telekinetic wall in front of her to block the blast. Getsuga Tenshou slams into the barrier with enough force to instantly crack her defenses! The mutant steps back as the force rocks into her shield. Suddenly from above her, she hears Ichigo's other self laugh and whisper;

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'Getsuga Tenshou.'

The purple-haired ninja manages to erect a weak barrier, protecting her from the majority of the massive attack. The other energy she was initially holding back breaks through her defenses and slams into her simultaneously as the other attack he just unleashed breaks through! A well of black energy rises violently into the air as Psylocke's form is completely engulfed! From his cage, Ichigo screams;

**Ichigo:** 'NO!'

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'What's the matter "King", loose somethin?'

The energy dissipates and Betsy's prone body is revealed; all traces of her psychic armor gone. The dark side of the soul reaper casually walks over to the unconscious mutant and raises his sword for the killing blow. Before he can bring his sword down, Ichigo screams and destroys the prison with his spiritual pressure! The hollow ignores the act and swings his sword anyway. The sharp blade never finds its mark, however, as Ichigo grabs the white blade and glares at his mirrored self.

**Ichigo:** 'This is my world, and you will do what I say!'

Ichigo forces the white Tensa Zangetsu back into his shadow's stomach, using the hilt of the sword as a battering ram! The hollow coughs and staggers backward as the orange-haired soul reaper frowns at him. The yellow-eyed Ichigo snickers and goes to ready himself but is surprised to find that the zanbakutou he was just holding no longer resides in his possession! He stares wildly at his master as he looks down to see the black shiny blade of Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu in his tightly clenched hand. The hollow steps back a few feet and smirks while speaking;

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'So ya freed yourself from that other guy's prison huh? Ya just can't let me have my fun can you? Just so we're clear; I won't need any help when the time comes for me ta really take over this place. Use your time well, "king", I'll be watching…'

Before Ichigo can press his attack, his other self dissipates into nothing. Psylocke stirs and gets to one knee, shaking her head. She looks up at the boy who just broke his bonds to save her life and smiles.

**Psylocke:** 'Thank you Ichigo Kurosaki.'

**Ichigo:** 'Are you alright, Psylocke?'

**Psylocke:** 'In the mind, a person can withstand a lot more punishment than they would be able to take on the physical plane. 'Those attacks hurt, but they would 'ave been a lot worse if I received them while in my real body.'

She takes his out stretched hand as she gets up.

**Psylocke:** 'I felt that presence when we first met. E's terrifyingly evil. What did it mean when it said 'e was you?'

**Ichigo:** 'I'm not completely sure, but I know he came around when I got my soul reaper powers back. If you see Urahara, ask him; he seems to have all the answers.'

**Psylocke:** 'I may do that; ready to go back and see how the others are doing?'

**Ichigo:** 'I don't really know how I got here. I think that Thanos guy put me in that cage.'

**Psylocke:** 'Don't worry; I can get us both out of here.'

The mutant telepath holds out her hand and Ichigo takes it and as they walk a few steps, a bright light begins to form and the two of them are engulfed by its brilliance!

Meanwhile, back in soul society, many of the hollow have been dealt with minimal injury. However, there are several still alive and fighting for their departed master. Soi Fon has unleashed Suzumebachi and is making short work of fifteen Thanos-evolved opponents, stabbing and disappearing, then striking again! The ice that Toshiro had used to slow Wolverine's blood loss has melted and Logan's wound has healed as he continues to slice away at his own group of hollow. Thor has joined Shunsui and Jushiro to aid them in their battle with a gang of thirty augmented foes. The captain of squad ten rejoins his relieved lieutenant as they help Renji tend to their fallen comrades. Yoruichi is dancing around a few hollow, smiling and taking her time destroying each one with ease. Just when the battle seems to be won, the very ground starts to shake and a cracking sound can be heard that seems to slow down everyone as they take notice. Wolverine slices off an opponent's head and turns to look in the direction of the sound.

**Wolverine:** 'Ya gotta be kiddin' me.'

In the great pillar of ice, an insanely enraged Hulk begins to stir! His face starts to twitch as the muscles in his jaw break the ice around his head. He flexes his fingers and makes the ice surrounding his arms splinter and crack. With every jerk and twist of his massive frame, he breaks more and more of the thick, cold prison encasing him. Finally with one huge roar the rest of his prison shatters and he lands on the ground in a cloud of dust and water! His body emits steam as the remnants of the impossibly cold ice that still clings to his form is heated and turned to water. He looks up with an unrecognizable gaze in his rage fueled green eyes and once again stares down the undefended head captain.

**Hulk:** '… YOU… HULK SMASH OLD MAN!'

He stands to his full height and with all the rage and anger that Thanos had unleashed within the beast, he is now well over ten feet tall and insanely muscled! He lets out a deafening roar and bends his knees to leap at his scarred target. Just before he attacks, Yamamoto takes his walking stick and holds it horizontally in front of him. The thick wood instantly dissolves, revealing a long katana with deep purple wrappings on the hilt and a round tsuba. This halts Hulk's advance for a moment as he watches the tiny man that is thirty yards away.

**Yamamoto:** 'You should have never let Thanos control you. You are nothing more than a rabid animal and I will put you down! Reduce all creation to ash, Ryuujin Jakka!'

His sheath bursts into flames as a large aura of heat engulfs the head captain and an insanely hot fire consumes the area! The intense heat that washes over the jade giant doesn't faze him, but it does evaporate the remaining moisture on his skin and turns the dirt and sand under his feet to glass!

**Yamamoto:** 'Joukaku Enjou!'

His zanbakutou burns bright and before Hulk can attack, he is surrounded by a huge dome of intense flame! The remaining hollow have been defeated and the gathered forces have stopped to watch the new battle. The sheer heat and brightness of the flames make Logan squint his eyes and put up a hand to shield his eyes. Thor notices that Kuchiki has his back towards the battle and is otherwise still occupied with his fight with the possessed Ichigo. They all hear a roar like they have not heard yet out of their enraged teammate and Kyoraku whistles low while commenting.

**Shunsui:** 'We haven't seen Yama-Jii cut loose in a while. Hulk's got his hands full with the head captain. I can imagine the pain he's feeling as he's burned alive.'

**Wolverine:** 'Ya think that scream is one o' pain? No way; if I know Hulk, he's probably yellin' at the flames ta go out.'

**Ukitake:** 'Does he really think that his roar will quell Ryuujin Jakka?'

**Wolverine:** 'I don't know bub, but I know that it's gonna take a lot more heat to beat that guy.'

The others have now gathered around to also watch the cage of flame and the old captain floating above it. Soi Fon and Yoruichi look over to the eighth and thirteenth captains and share a concerned look. Toshiro is the furthest one back and Thor touches down next to him.

**Thor:** 'Why art thou so far back Captain Hitsugaya?'

**Toshiro:** 'I hate the heat; Ryuujin Jakka is the strongest zanbakutou in all of soul society and it sucks all the moisture out of the air. Hyourinmaru is weakened by the release somewhat.'

**Thor:** 'Tis true; Odin's Son can feel the very atmosphere change. This fire hath scorched the heavens themselves!

Hulk stands on the molten ground and looks all around the burning inferno. Large drops of sweat form on his green skin and they quickly evaporate due to the heated air. His skin begins to dry out and crack as his green hue is slowly turning purple due to the temperature. Before the skin blisters and breaks, his healing factor heals the burns and Hulk huffs. He braces himself and outstretches his large arms. Back outside of the large furnace, Yamamoto turns to walk away from the caged beast. Suddenly he hears a deafening thunderclap and his enclosure of flame blows by him, rustling his long tied beard! The others let out surprised gasps and are shocked to see Hulk standing nearly unscathed; with his hands clasped together smoking. The green goliath frowns at the man that has confined him and leaps at him! Genryusai quickly turns around and swings his blazing sword at the advancing behemoth!

**Yamamoto:** 'Know your place!'

A phoenix-like flame rushes out of the sword and engulfs Hulk's body. The heat of the flames instantly sears the thick green skin and he starts to cook alive! Hulk screams out in pain and defiance. The flames continue to wash over him and his skin keeps frying, healing, and frying again! The smell of burnt flesh permeates the air and Logan puts his hand over his nose to try to block out the stench! The scene is almost too much to watch and even Soi Fon looks away into Yoruichi's shoulder. Thor goes to stop the slaughter but Shunsui and Toshiro both caution him.

**Shunsui:** 'I wouldn't if I were you, friend.'

**Toshiro:** 'This is a battle of pride for the head captain.'

**Shunsui:** 'If you try and stop Yama-Jii when he's like this, he may consider you a traitor and fight you instead.'

The god of thunder grits his teeth and steps back while gipping his hammer tightly. The flames have driven the monstrous Hulk back to the ground and slowly dissipate. His body is a charred mass of melted dripping flesh and smoke. His great musculature is exposed and it too is burnt and cooked. He breathes in and out heavy black smoke as green blood flows freely from his lidless, burnt eyes; he looks up at the frowning soul reaper. He gets to one healing knee and coughs. He slowly stands up and brushes off a layer of dead, crispy skin; revealing fresh bright green skin underneath. The onlookers are amazed at how fast he has healed, let alone that he's even alive!

**Ukitake:** 'Impossible! What kind of power does Hulk possess to withstand a direct attack from Yamamoto-san's Shikai?'

**Thor:** 'Hulk hath laid waste to mine Asgard and conquered Olympus. Me thinks there be nothing he can not do.'

The flames have burned the remnants of his pants completely off of his body and he stands before his opponent completely naked! Logan shakes his head at the site and Matsumoto can be seen blushing slightly. He roars once more and stomps the ground; breaking a huge chunk of cooled molten earth off and hurling it at the head captain! Genryusai flash steps and easily dodges the missile-like object. He touches the ground, still facing the newly healed but naked Hulk. The jade giant runs towards his grounded adversary and throws out a massive green fist with enough force to take off the captain's head! The attack is stopped by an eye patch-less Kenpachi who has just made it to the scene! The wind of the attack rushes by the two captains, making Zaraki's bells jingle and Yamamoto's beard sway.

**Zaraki:** 'Sorry I'm late gramps; I got lost. Ya mind if I teach this guy a lesson fer ya?'

**Yamamoto:** 'Mmm.'

**Zaraki:** 'Thanks!'

With one quick motion, the eleventh squad captain grabs Hulk's huge wrist and throws him over his shoulder and away from the surrounding area! He quickly runs off in the direction where he threw the green goliath. Yamamoto powers down and his sheath materializes to house his zanbakutou.

As the chaotic battle moves away from the rest of the gathered heroes and soul reapers, Captain Kuchiki is still restraining Ichigo in his sphere of Senbonzakura. Suddenly he senses a change inside the millions of tiny razors and nearly at the same time he hears the female telepath's voice in his head again. _You can stand down now proud captain; the boy is back to normal._ Byakuya cracks the tiniest smile and closes his eyes. His Bankai spreads out, revealing a kneeling Ichigo, sans mask. The captain of the sixth squad spins on his heel and sheaths his sword.

**Byakuya:** 'You need to learn more control over your other self, Ichigo Kurosaki.'

**Ichigo:** 'What? I didn't bring it out! It was—'

The captain flash steps away, leaving the orange-haired substitute alone with his explanation. Betsy slowly opens her eyes and she sees a soul reaper standing protectively over her as two final hollow disintegrate. She gets to her feet and she sees that Shuuhei is topless and missing his explosive bands that he wears around his arms and neck. He still has Kazeshini at the ready but is barely standing as he is bleeding from several wounds adorning his lean, muscular body. She places her soft hand on his shoulder, turning him around so she can see his face. Above his left eye is cut and his lip is bleeding but he looks at her and smiles.

**Shuuhei:** 'You're back; I was worried that - mmmph!'

He is cut off by the female's sudden and impassioned embrace! She wraps her arms around his frame and pulls him in close to deepen the kiss. He drops his zanbakutou which reverts back to a single blade and sticks into the ground. After a few minutes, the soul reaper and mutant separate and Psylocke smiles warmly at her protector.

**Psylocke:** 'You used your own body to shield me while I went into Ichigo's mind.'

**Shuuhei:** 'When you finished off your hollow, and Ichigo Kurosaki was attacked by Thanos, I saw you kneel down and close your eyes. I know you of all people don't need your sight to see, but when a hollow went to attack you and you didn't stop it, I knew something was wrong.'

**Psylocke:** 'I'm so sorry that I put that burden on you, Shuuhei.'

**Shuuhei:** 'It was nothing; I- you are someone I want- to protect.'

She looks into his conflicted eyes and closes the distance between them once more as she places her hand on his bruised cheek. Betsy gently kisses his cheek and whispers in his ear;

**Psylocke:** 'I will clean your wounds tonight, and next time I'll protect you.'

He looks at her with heat flaring up into his face and she looks back at him with seduction in her eyes. Psylocke bends down and picks up his sword; and without taking her eyes off him, pulls at his sash and slowly places the sheath securely onto his waist. He gulps audibly as she turns and saunters off towards the others who have just witnessed a great battle. Retsu Unohana and some of her squad four subordinates have arrived to assist in dealing with the injured. A new female soul reaper stands near her captain as she kneels next to the shattered leg of Dr. Strange. She is tall with short silver hair that has a few strands braided on the right side. Her large, caring eyes are grey in color and she wears her lieutenant's badge around her left arm. As she looks over her captain's shoulder, Unohana speaks softly to her.

**Retsu:** 'Isane-san; please go and summon Orihime Inoue for me.'

**Isane:** 'Of course captain!'

The silver-haired lieutenant bows and vanishes as the captain of the fourth squad speaks to Dr. Strange.

**Retsu:** 'Your leg is severely damaged, Stephen-san. I can numb the pain temporarily, but it will take several hours to heal you with kidou. My lieutenant, Isane Kotestu, is going to bring someone here who has a unique gift as well. Please wait a little longer.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Ungh, it is quite alright. If Kenpachi can hngh, calm Hulk down, I am going to have to have a talk with him.'

**Wolverine:** 'The damage can't be that bad if the doc is makin' jokes.'

**Psylocke:** 'I'm going to telepathically turn off your pain receptors, Stephen; that should 'elp with the pain.'

The area is soon engulfed in a green glow as the members of the fourth squad begin to administer healing kidou on the injured soul reapers. Captain Yamamoto walks over to the gathered heroes and looks down at Dr. Strange.

**Yamamoto:** 'That Hulk is a raging beast. I've never seen anyone outside of soul society endure Ryuujin Jakka the way he did. If you all weren't so close, I would have unleashed my Bankai.'

Shunsui and Jushiro looked shocked at the eldest soul reaper and even Unohana halts her work on the mystic as he says this.

**Yamamoto:** 'I would not have believed there was someone so strong in any universe if I hadn't seen him with my own eyes.'

A few minutes of silence pass as Logan looks around at the others. Finally he sighs and throws up his hands.

**Wolverine: **'Alright, look, I know I ain't the only one thinkin' this; how in the hell did Thanos get that extra power? Kyoraku and Ukitake said it was "sonido"; well I know it's Spanish for sound and I heard the noise when he moved, but how'd he learn it? I mean the guy's only been here for what, two, three days tops?'

The soul reapers all look at the feral mutant and then look down or away.

**Wolverine:** 'What? Am I wrong?'

**Yoruichi:** 'Kisuke and I have known about him for five days.'

**Soi Fon:** 'My patrol corps had first spotted him seven days ago.'

**Wolverine:** 'What're they sayin' doc; ya knew about this days before ya sent us in?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Not at all Logan; as soon as I was aware of the scheme, I took steps to bring you all here immediately. I found this dimension first, contacted Urahara, and he said he knew of what I spoke of and he gave me what I needed to get us here.'

Logan runs his fingers through his wild mane before growling.

**Wolverine:** 'That still doesn't explain the time difference!'

**Ukitake:** 'To get here, you used an illegal Senkaimon correct? Which made you pass through the Dangai?'

**Wolverine:** 'Yeah, so?'

**Mayuri:** 'My, my, my, you are slow aren't you?'

The group looks up to see the captain of squad twelve casually stroll in with his lieutenant walking behind him. He smiles wide as he gets closer to them.

**Mayuri:** 'The precipice world is a time rift, and as such, can send you back in time or forward in time. You were lucky to only be shot forward three days. Some have slipped hundreds of years and have come out as dust!'

**Yoruichi:** 'Thanos has learned to use sonido and he has the power to open up a Garganta. How do you explain him using arrancar abilities?'

**Mayuri:** 'You poor cat; he clearly has a mind to be reckoned with. I've been monitoring that short one's body and he has already shown signs that he can learn our flash step. What's from keeping this Thanos from gathering powerful arrancar, subjugating them and having them teach him their techniques? He will be a very valuable specimen indeed.'

**Soi Fon:** 'Head captain; if he manages to locate Aizen , Gin and Tousen, it could be the end of us!'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Thanos is not the type to work freely with others. If he does meet up with your adversaries, he will most likely try to kill them or make them his pawns.'

**Yamamoto:** 'Time is of the essence if we are to defeat this villain and bring soul society back to peace. Let us head back and discuss our next plan of attack.'

Just then Lieutenant Kotestu approaches with the orange-haired girl in tow. She spots Ichigo and cries out;

**Orihime:** 'Ichigo! You're not hurt are you?'

**Ichigo:** 'Not too bad, but our friend Dr. Strange is hurt pretty bad. Do you think you can heal him?'

**Orihime:** 'I think so.'

The high school girl kneels down next to the sorcerer's shattered leg and touches her temples.

**Orihime:** 'Souten Kisshun, I reject.'

Bright orange light flashes out from her hair pins as she moves her hand to the damaged limb. As she does this, a dome of solid orange energy surrounds the magician's leg and starts to instantly heal the bones! Logan hears what she says and thinks to himself; _"twin heavenly returning shield"? OK, well whatever it is, it looks like its workin'. _ Betsy catches his stray thought and asks; _what was that Logan?_ He answers her dismissively; _ah nothin' darlin', just me "thinkin' out loud"._ In his mind she sees him using his fingers as quotation gestures and she mentally smiles at her teammate. With in a few minutes Stephen's leg is completely healed and the girl removes her shield. He stands up and tests the leg by putting weight on it.

**Dr. Strange:** 'That is an amazing gift you have Ms. Inoue. Thank you my dear.'

**Orihime:** 'Oh, ha, ha; it was nothing really!'

She waves the mystic off playfully, not wanting to take the credit for her good job. As the group starts to head out, they hear disturbing laughter coming from the nearby forest. Everyone turns to see two silhouettes emerging from the tree line. As the sun dispels the shadow, they come to see that it is a bruised and bleeding Kenpachi and a back-to-normal, smiling Hulk! Around his muscled waist is the captain's ripped haori, covering his naked form. Zaraki is nearly naked himself with his kimono non existent and pants ripped badly. He carries his long, badly worn sword on his bruised shoulder. They join the weary group shortly and stop a few feet from the group. Zaraki looks over to where Ikkaku and Yumichika are; they both sport cuts and bruises from the beating they received from the enraged Hulk. The captain scoffs and speaks to the jade giant.

**Kenpachi:** 'Ya really did a number on those two didn't ya?'

**Hulk:** 'I can't remember. Thanos hit me with something I've never felt before.'

**Wolverine:** 'Well ya sure went nuts on us bub; ya shattered the doc's leg.'

Hulk frowns and looks away as Dr. Strange cautiously puts a gloved hand on his teammate's large shoulder.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Let us not dwell on what Thanos has done. Instead, we should piece together what we know, and come up with a way to stop him.'

Having experienced their first defeat at the hands of the titan, the heroes and soul reapers slowly walk back to Sei Rei Tei where they will recuperate and discuss what can be done next.


	22. Perspective

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Perspective  
**

Hulk, having just laid waste to half of his new allies and crushing Dr. Strange's leg, heads back slower than the others. The heroes notice this but say nothing out loud; preferring to let the conflicted strong man have his time alone. Psylocke, who is walking next to the ninth squad lieutenant, sends a telepathic message to the mystic. _I feel like we should say something to 'ulk; 'e wasn't in control and yet I can tell 'e feels responsible for what 'appened._ Stephen responds with his own thoughts; _I think it is wise, for now, to let him have his space Betsy. The way that he is, Hulk will not dwell on this for very long and anything that we say to try and relieve him of his guilt, will only make things worse. _ She cuts communication and focuses on supporting her protector while they continue to walk. The captain of the seventh squad, having fully recovered from his brief clash with the gamma-irradiated Hulk, watches the loner as he lets the others go on ahead of him. He lets out a small huff as he too falls behind to wait for his conflicted comrade. The jade giant sees the larger fox waiting and walks past him with a small glance. Sajin glares at the disrespect but then closes his eyes and twitches his ears. He folds his large arms into his sleeves and quickly catches up to the irritated man. Hulk doesn't try to avoid the attention; seeing it as a waste of time. The two continue to walk far behind the others in silence until finally Hulks grunts.

**Hulk: **'What?'

**Komamura:** '… Nothing; I am just a humble observer to how quickly your companions have deserted you.'

**Hulk:** '"Humble observer" huh? Those guys haven't deserted me; they just know that I like to be left alone.'

**Komamura:** 'My apologies, green one. May I ask you something?'

**Hulk:** '… Go ahead.'

**Komamura:** 'Why did you come on this journey to aid an unknown world if you do not like to be bothered?'

Hulk stops and looks up at the larger soul reaper and the captain walks a few more steps before stopping as well. Komamura turns his head enough to look back at the jade giant.

**Hulk:** 'I can't resist a good fight; besides, the runt came so I sure wasn't gonna let him have all the fun.'

**Komamura:** '"The runt"; do you mean Wolverine-san? You seem to respect him though you are much larger than he is.'

**Hulk:** 'Respects goin' a little far, but him and I go way back; but half of the time we're trying to kill each other.'

**Komamura:** 'Why does he fight?'

**Hulk:** 'Wolverine? 'I don't know; the guy's got issues if you ask me.'

Silence returns to the area as they continue to walk. Even though Hulk still feels frustrated about how easily Thanos manipulated him, he finds that talking to the large fox is easy. He inwardly smirks at how much tension fills the air whenever he and Zaraki get together, but with this soul reaper, it's more of a casual atmosphere.

**Komamura:** 'Why do you fight, Hulk-san?'

**Hulk:** 'Me? Huh; no one's ever asked me that. It's what I'm good at. I've had to do it to survive; where I come from, it's either kill Hulk or control Hulk. I've been on the side of the angels, but more often I'm considered a threat.'

**Komamura:** 'I see; you do not seem to be one who likes senseless confrontation.'

**Hulk:** 'We need more like you where I'm from. If I had it my way, I'd go some place where no one would bug me.'

**Komamura:** 'People tend to judge you by appearance alone; running in fear or hating you because you are different.'

**Hulk:** 'You got it; you sound like you've got experience with that sort of thing.'

**Komamura:** 'I understand what it is like to be treated differently because you do not look like everyone else. Like you, I have some who do accept me. Head-Captain Yamamoto has been extremely gracious to me; I will be forever in his debt for taking me in.'

Without Hulk realizing it, the two have talked the entire time, leading them back to the large wall that separates the Rukon District and Sei Rei Tei. The green goliath looks around and doesn't see the others anywhere.

**Hulk:** 'We must've walked slower than I thought; everybody else's gone.'

**Komamura:** 'So it would appear. We also walked a great deal out of our way. This is not the south gate, it is the west gate.'

As the captain says this, Hulk looks up and coming into view is a large, thick door with an extremely large soul reaper in front of it. They approach the door and its muscled guardian, and as Hulk gets closer he sees the man more clearly. At 35' 5", he towers over the captain of the seventh squad. He has long black hair that hangs down his back in a ponytail and his sideburns go the length of his face and are long enough to be tied into tuffs at the ends. The armor he wears over his left shoulder and arm are revealed as his kimono hangs off of his body on that side and his red hat has yellow tassels adorning either side. He looks down at the men as Sajin greets the much larger being.

**Komamura:** 'Good afternoon, Jidanbo Ikkanzaka-san; guardian of the west gate, we have just come from our first battle against Thanos.'

The gate keeper bows respectfully and speaks in a booming voice before he lifts his great head.

**Jidanbo:** 'Hello, Captain Komamura; is that one of the other-world beings I've heard about?'

**Komamura:** 'He is; my companion's name is Hulk and he is very strong.'

The large soul reaper stands back up to full height and steps towards the gate. With some effort on his part, the gate lifts up from its position, spewing dust and dirt as it is disturbed from its resting spot. The captain bows his thanks and Hulk nods his head at the huge gate keeper as the two re-enter Sei Rei Tei. They walk for a bit more in silence until Sajin looks down at the ripped haori that serves as Hulk's clothing for the time being.

**Komamura:** 'Would you like to change into something more comfortable, Hulk-san?'

Hulk follows the fox's eyes and looks down at Kenpachi's coat and smirks.

**Hulk:** 'Oh, right; sure.'

**Komamura:** 'Good. Follow me to my quarters; I may have a few kimonos that will fit even your large frame.'

As the rest of the soul reapers and heroes re-enter Sei Rei Tei through the south gate, Logan's keen ears pick up on a conversation that Zaraki and Ikkaku are having.

**Ikkaku:** 'Hey captain; when I was comin' to, I heard you comin' outta the woods with Hulk. What happened in there?'

**Kenpachi:** 'If ya wanted ta know, then ya should've been there. Ah hell; ta be honest with ya, not much happened. I didn't really want ta pick up the old man's scraps so I just let the big guy wail on me fer a time. His attacks were startin' ta irritate me an' just when I was gonna start fightin' back, he started ta tire out and come off o' whatever he was on.'

Wolverine stops listening to their conversation and starts to pick up another one.

**Renji:** 'Hey Ichigo; while the captains brainstorm, you wanna spar for a bit?'

**Ichigo:** 'Sounds good, but Orihime and I haven't had a chance to see Rukia yet, and I wanna see her first. Can I catch up with you?'

**Renji:** '… Sure; I saw her a couple days ago, so I'll see if Chad wants to join us.'

The orange-haired soul reaper nods to the sixth lieutenant and splits off from the group and catches up with Orihime and Unohana as she too departs for her fourth squad with her lieutenant and subordinates. The sun now hangs overhead as the rest of the group starts to split up and go their separate ways before the meeting. Betsy follows Shuuhei and before they leave, she gives Logan a wink and a smile as the hairy mutant just laughs and shakes his head at the beautiful woman. Wolverine catches the end of Shunsui's conversation with Ukitake before they depart company.

**Shunsui:** 'My, I need a drink after that workout. Would you care to join me, Jushiro-kun?"

**Ukitake:** 'No, no my friend; I need to see how my third seats are holding up. I think they worry themselves sick over me sometimes.'

**Shunsui:** 'Suit yourself; more for me.'

He tips his hat to his friend and starts to walk away. Wolverine, who is walking on one side of Thor as Rangiku is walking on his other side, slaps the thunder god on the back and motions with his head in the direction of the eighth captain.

**Wolverine:** 'Come on, bub, lets go get us some 'o that Japanese hospitality. It's rude ta let a man drink alone.'

**Thor:** 'Me thinks we should battle-plan fort the next time we meet Thanos in combat.'

**Rangiku:** 'Oh come on Thor, I don't get to actually drink with the eighth captain all that much and I would be sad to drink without you!'

**Wolverine:** 'Don't wanna disappoint the lady do ya big guy?'

**Thor:** 'Tis agreed; but afterwards, we shall practice.'

The three catch up with the hatted soul reaper as they walk to find a nice place to drink away their defeat. More and more soul reapers depart from the group and the only ones that are left with Dr. Strange are the head captain, Soi Fon and Yoruichi, the second squad's lieutenant, Omaeda; Toshiro and Byakuya Kuchiki. As the seven round a corner, Stephen looks up to see a lone figure casually propped up against a wall several feet in front of them. Before he can acknowledge the presence, Yoruichi skips past all of them so fast that the mystic's cape and the sixth captain's scarf rustles in her wake. Dr. Strange glances back towards Soi Fon who frowns and breaks off from the group. The robust man frowns as well as he runs to catch up with the small woman.

**Soi Fon:** 'Let's go Omaeda.'

**Omaeda:** 'Yes captain!'

The two vanish as the sorcerer once again returns his attention to the newcomer. The man lifts himself off of the wall with a push from his wooden geta-clad foot. He tilts his green and white striped hat in the direction of the captains as he is greeted by Yoruichi.

**Yoruichi:** 'It's about time you showed up; did you fall asleep?'

**Urahara:** 'What? Oh, ha-ha, no; I was monitoring the situation when I discovered how much Thanos had learned and decided to lend my services.'

**Yoruichi:** 'How noble of you.'

He smiles at his long time friend as silence once again returns to the area. He looks past her auburn locks to where Yamamoto and the others are standing and becomes stoic.

**Yamamoto:** 'Kiskuke Urahara.'

As the old captain says the shaggy haired man's name, the mystic feels a wave of energy ripple out in the direction of the former twelfth captain. The hatted man closes his eyes and addresses the others.

**Urahara:** 'I'm here to help Yamamoto-san; Thanos threatens us all and you can deal with me coming back to soul society later.'

Byakuya watches the scene as it unfolds and then looks away. He takes one step and then is gone, leaving the others to their own devices.

**Yamamoto:** 'A new Central 46 has not been named yet so my decisions are law. Due to the circumstances, your presence here will be allowed.'

Kiskuke bows slightly to the head captain and the new group heads towards the first captain's meeting room.

Shortly after breaking off from the other captains, Wolverine, Thor and the tenth squad's lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto catch up with the eighth squad's captain who is lazily walking back to his chambers.

**Wolverine:** 'Hey Shunsui! Ya mind if a few of us take ya up on that offer ya gave Jushiro?'

Shunsui Kyoraku pauses momentarily as he looks back at the shorter man and his two companions. Under his straw hat, he smiles a bit and folds his arms into his captain's haori, under the flower kimono that he wears over it.

**Shunsui:** 'It can't be helped I guess; you're welcome to join me. I hear that your blonde friend can put away the alcohol.'

**Wolverine:** 'Thor? I think so; he can be a little high an' mighty sometimes, but he can drink with the best o' them.'

As he finishes, the other two come up and Thor greets the scruffy captain with a nod of his head. He holds out his large hand and to Logan and Matsumoto's surprise, Shunsui grasps the god's forearm in a traditional Nordic greeting. He glances over to where the busty lieutenant is just now adjusting her stunned expression into something more lady-like.

**Shunsui:** 'What? A guy with my wide background can't know the ways of the west?'

**Rangiku:** 'I'm sorry Captain Kyoraku; I just never knew you liked anything else besides relaxing.'

The long haired soul reaper sighs and waves her off.

**Shunsui:** 'My, it's a good thing you're so good looking, or I'd have to give you a talkin' to about respect for your superiors.'

He tips his hat up a bit with his right index figure as he gives the blue-eyed lieutenant one last look before turning around and heading once again towards his chambers. Thor looks back at her as she closes her eyes and smirks at the captain's remarks. The three follow Kyoraku into the room and before the captain goes for the sake, he reaches into a drawer and pulls out a new top for Logan.

**Shunsui:** 'I'm going to start chargin' you for these, Logan-san.'

He casually tosses the robes over to the short mutant who catches them in mid air while smirking.

**Wolverine:** 'If they were made o' better quality stuff, I wouldn't have ta worry 'bout rippin' them.'

The soul reaper chuckles as he turns around to head into the back to find the sake, when he stops dead in his tracks to the lieutenant of the tenth squad already rummaging through his stash! She comes up, smiling, with two large jugs and four glasses.

**Wolverine:** 'Looks like we caught our little sake thief from the other night, eh Shunsui?'

**Shunsui:** 'I'm going to have to get better security! Where's Nanao-chan when I need her? I'll tell my third and fourth seats to do her paperwork. She needs to be here to guard my sake.'

Rangiku, realizing she's been caught, laughs nervously while quickly pouring each man a drink.

**Rangiku:** 'Oh, ah, it's just that I wanted to entertain Thor the other night and I know that you have the best sake in all of soul society!'

She bows in apology to her superior and waits for her punishment that never comes. She slowly raises her head and sees that the three men have taken their first drinks and have ignored her completely! She sighs in frustration and folds her arms.

**Rangiku:** 'Hey! I'm tryin' to apologize to you here. Did you hear a word that I said? Ugh; this is just like when my captain ignores me!'

Her rant soon trails off and she huffs as she settles down and pours herself a drink and soon forgets about her troubles.

Hulk follows Sajin Komamura into his quarters and soon hears a faint barking coming from out back. He looks over to the large fox who is twitching his ears in acknowledgment of the sound. The captain of squad seven looks over to the silently inquisitive Hulk and answers his eyes.

**Komamura:** 'That is my companion, Goro.'

**Hulk:** 'You keep a dog for a pet? OK.'

**Komamura:** 'Do you find that strange?'

**Hulk: ** 'Not really; I just didn't expect it.'

**Komamura:** 'I see. Would you like to meet him?'

**Hulk:** 'Maybe later.'

**Komamura:** 'Very well. Follow me; I have some robes for you in here.'

The two large being's footfalls can be heard echoing through the wooden-floored structure as they walk past room after room in the large complex. Finally Sajin stops in front of a door and after a moment of hesitation, slides it open. Hulk walks in and looks around. It is in perfect order as is everything else that Hulk has passed in the fox's compound. The captain walks to a large closet and opens the door, revealing several soul reaper kimonos. He takes one out and walks back to where the jade giant is standing.

**Komamura:** 'These Kimonos once belonged to my fourth seat, Jirobo Ikkanzaka. You met his much larger brother when we walked through the west gate.'

He hands the robes to Hulk who looks down at the mass of fabric and then looks back up to Komamura.

**Hulk:** 'What do you mean "once belonged to"?'

The large fox looks off to the side and frowns as he answers Hulk's question.

**Komamura:** 'He was bested by another in combat. He was not killed, but his abilities as a soul reaper were forfeited. He is a few inches taller than you so they will fit better than if I were to give you some of mine.'

**Hulk:** 'Plus, if I were to wear one of yours, I'd have to worry about hair getting everywhere.'

Komamura's golden eyes widen in response to the green man's insult. Then he sees that his companion is trying to joke, so he huffs once and calms down. He lays his ears back and walks past the green goliath as he steps out of the room.

**Komamura:** 'You can change in there and I suggest burning Kenpachi's Haori afterwards.'

Hulk smiles and looks back down at the cloth in his hands.

**Hulk:** 'Here goes nothin'.'

He doesn't know the first thing about fitting a kimono. To him, it just looks like a bunch of fabric with sleeves. He does his best to figure it out though and after thirty minutes he finally has on something that resembles what the others are wearing. His left arm is covered up to his thick shoulder while the right side of his kimono hangs off of his body; revealing his massive pectoral and arm. There was no way he was going to fit into the sandals, so he remains barefoot. Due to his massive waist, the pants that would normally hang near his ankles now rest at his iron-hard calves. He looks himself over and all in all he's pretty impressed with his effort. He takes the ripped and dirty haori that was, until a half hour ago, covering his unmentionables and wads it into a ball and opens the door. He steps out into the large hallway and looks down both ways. Silence; the green goliath doesn't see anybody around. Komamura isn't waiting outside, but that figures, since he took so long to get changed. He walks back the way he came and soon hears the playful barking of Goro. Hulk sighs as he figures there's no way getting around meeting the dog. He walks to the open area in the back and looks out into a wide open space. In the center of the courtyard stands a giant tree with low hanging branches that nearly touch the ground. To the left of the tree, he spots the fox kneeling as he plays with a small dog which Hulk assumes to be a bit bigger, but the captain completely dwarfs the canine. He steps down off of the walkway and onto the soft dirt. Simultaneously Sajin and Goro look in his direction with the dog barking at the stranger.

**Komamura:** 'Not the best job I've seen, but this look suits you it seems.'

As the captain gets to his feet, the dog braces in front of him protectively. Hulk frowns a bit and lumbers over to the mutt. He puts his large hand out to the dog for him to sniff at it and after a minute more of warning growls, Goro cautiously sniffs at the green hand.

**Komamura:** 'He's intimidated by your smell; it is completely foreign to him.'

**Hulk:** 'Good guess; it wouldn't be my size or anything.'

**Komamura:** 'No it would not be your size, and I wasn't guessing. I can communicate with him and he says you have a smell that is less than pleasant.'

**Hulk:** 'Cute dog. You don't seem that phased by my "stink".'

**Komamura:** 'I breathe through my mouth.'

Hulk just stares at the captain who has the slightest smile on his face. He hates to admit it but he's starting to wonder what Kenpachi's doing right about now! The green goliath lets the joking slide as he figures that the fox doesn't get the chance to mess with others all that often.

**Hulk:** 'Thanks for the clothes, by the way. They fit all right.'

**Komamura:** 'It was no trouble.'

**Hulk:** 'I'm goin' to look for some food.'

Komamura: 'Hulk-san; it was good talking with you.'

**Hulk:** 'You're not too bad yourself, Sajin.'

He turns around and waves at the fox as he walks through the building and exits the way he came.

Upon entering the large meeting room, the head captain sits down heavily on his chair and interlocks his fingers as he rests his chin against his hands. He breaths out audibly as the old man looks at the others who accompanied him. Dr. Strange stands next to Toshiro Hitsugaya and across from him are Yoruichi and the newly arrived Kisuke Urahara.

**Yamamoto:** 'The situation has escalated to a point that is dangerously close to uncontainable. I would normally be against having outsiders; humans from another dimension no less, learning our techniques, but due to the circumstances I will allow the teachings to take place.'

Dr. Strange looks down at the boy captain next to him and sees him looking in the direction of Kisuke and Yoruichi. The former captain's eyes are shadowed under the brim of his striped hat but a content smile can be seen on his face.

**Yamamoto:** 'Go and make your preparations; for tomorrow, we begin training. The next few days should be interesting if nothing else.'

The old captain dismisses the three and Yoruichi and Urahara wait for the mystic as Captain Hitsugaya leaves first. The sorcerer supreme wraps his long red cloak around his arms, concealing most of his body. The three walk in silence before Kisuke lets out a whistle.

**Urahara:** 'What a day you guys seemed to have. I wonder how hard it was for Genryusai to be OK with training outsiders. I'm glad though; now we have a chance at beating Thanos.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I do not mean to be presumptuous, Kisuke, but I think you were planning on something like this happening.'

He unfolds his fan and puts it front of his face as they walk.

**Urahara:** 'I don't know what you're talking about; it's not like I'm a puppet master, pulling the strings or anything.'

Yoruichi playfully elbows him in the ribs for his comment.

**Yoruichi:** 'Well, anyway, now that we have the head captain's permission to go all out, what do you think we should do?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'If I may interject? Since coming here, I have been slowly attuning myself to this world's energy. After watching various soul reapers perform kidou, I believe I can also harness that power.'

Kisuke tilts his head up and raises an eyebrow.

**Yoruichi:** 'I've seen Wolverine in action; given the proper training by yours truly, he will learn shunpo.'

**Urahara:** 'Alright then; I'll help you learn kidou, Stephen, but I want one more person to help too.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Very well; I would like Thor to come along also. His hammer innately absorbs all kinds of energies; it will be interesting to know what Mjllonir has learned on its own.'

The two former captains look at each other before nodding in unison. They go to depart as Stephen stops them.

**Dr. Strange:** 'One last thing; before we engage in our training tomorrow, I am hoping to take Psylocke over to have a meeting with Hulk in the morning. I will find Mr. Urahara when we are finished.

**Urahara:** 'Fair enough; see you tomorrow.'

With that, the two vanish and leave the mystic to walk Sei Rei Tei alone.

**Editor's Notes: Hi everyone! It's been awhile; sorry about that. A little slower pace in this one, hopefully it didn't drag on. There's not a whole lot of script floating around for the seventh captain, so I hope his personality is acceptable. Let me know what you think and happy reading!**


	23. Meeting of the Mind

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Meeting of the Mind  
**

Rangiku Matsumoto sits across from Shunsui Kyoraku and on her right is the god of thunder, Thor. Logan; who is sitting at her left, watches the woman as she drunkenly, focuses on spinning an empty sake jug that is lying on its side. Her cheeks are a deep rose color and her eyelids are half-closed. Her kimono has slipped from her left shoulder, revealing more skin than she would normally, and her golden mane is tussled. Thor fares slightly better as his cheeks only have a slight pink to them and his deep blue eyes still have awareness. Wolverine glances over to the eighth captain and notices that he must have held back slightly this time around because he only has a buzzed smile on his face and his eyes have yet to glaze over. As he looks over the group, the small man reaches up and scratches his stubble-laden chin. He hears the tenth squad lieutenant start to mumble.

**Rangiku:** 'You guysh shure are funsh; my captainsh wouldntsh letsh me drinksh thish much.'

Kyoraku tilts his head up from his position across from her and looks at her thoughtfully.

**Shunsui:** 'Shiro-chan isn't that bad all the time is he? I'm sure he'd be more fun if he was old enough to drink.'

**Thor:** 'Yon captain is a fine young warrior m'lady; methinks his shrewdness cometh from the power he doth wield.'

**Shunsui:** 'I have to agree with our muscled friend; all that pressure can't be good for one so young.'

Matsumoto looks at the care-free captain and smirks as she stops playing with the empty bottle.

**Rangiku:** 'My captainsh ish the bestsh; I justsh wished he'dsh letsh me have more funsh.'

Logan props himself up on his wrists as he leans back and listens to the three talk about, as he sees it; absolutely nothing. Wolverine hadn't seen much of these soul reapers in action until that battle with Thanos and then, ultimately, with Hulk. But from what he got from the way Hitsugaya fought, the boy's OK in his book. He took a raging beast head on and didn't even flinch; that's got to stand for something. He once again smiles to himself as he reflects on the beating they collectively took and sighs. This catches the attention of the hatted captain and he raises an eyebrow at the hairy mutant.

**Shunsui:** 'Something on your mind Logan-san?'

**Rangiku:** 'Yeah; you've been pretty quietsh over there for mostsh of the time. You don'tsh even look drunksh; have another drinksh!'

The woman comically looks for another bottle of alcohol as Logan begins to speak.

**Wolverine:** 'Not really bub; I was just thinkin' how much the shit has hit the fan this time. I mean, we were prepared ta take on Thanos; with no help at all really. But then, we get here and it turns out that this place has some pretty powerful guardians already. I figured we'd be in good shape when prune-chin actually showed up. Now it turns out, the guy's practically all-powerful, an' we get our asses handed to us.'

Kyoraku leans against the wall and pulls his straw hat down over his eyes before speaking.

**Shunsui:** 'You'd be able to deal with this better if you could get drunk.'

**Wolverine:** 'Yer tellin' me.'

By this time, Rangiku has found another jar and has poured Logan a large glass. He takes the drink and downs it in one long swig. He wipes his mouth with the back of his chiseled forearm before sitting the glass down.

**Wolverine:** 'Thanks darlin'.'

**Thor:** 'We shall end Thanos's threat, Wolverine; that be certain indeed. In the many times Odin's Son hath battled the brute, he would be nigh unstoppable; but twas in the end, he was beaten back.'

The pretty blonde soul reaper looks over at Thor and sighs.

**Rangiku:** 'How can you notsh justsh meltsh when this mansh talks!'

Logan tilts his head at the woman's outburst but ultimately ignores it.

**Wolverine:** 'I'm just itchin' fer a rematch that's all. I owe him fer blastin' out my kidney.'

He subconsciously rubs his perfectly healed side as he pours himself another drink. The others do the same and Rangiku, who has sobered just slightly, raises her glass. Thor, Shunsui and Logan raise theirs as well and she says;

**Rangiku:** 'Kampai!'

**Shunsui/Wolverine:** 'Kampai!'

Thor drinks as the others do, but is curious to what the three just said. He lightly touches the woman's arm and she blushes at his warm touch.

**Thor:** 'Rangiku; what doth this word, "kampai", mean?'

**Rangiku:** 'Mm? Oh, um, it's like a celebration; like cheers.'

**Thor:** '"Cheers". Thank you fair lady, tis settled then; kampai!'

His booming voice fills the small room and Logan shakes his head and Matsumoto laughs out loud. Shunsui bows his head in Thor's direction as the once somber atmosphere again turns to one that is light, if not truly happy.

As the sun begins to cast long shadows on the ground; Psylocke, wearing nothing but a white robe, steps out onto the ninth lieutenant's balcony. Her purple locks hanging in an unruly manner around her shoulders. A few minutes later Shuuhei comes out to join her. He is shirtless and is bandaged from the many wounds he received in protecting the woman by his side. The female mutant looks over her lean partner and smiles while running her right hand through her hair. He looks over at her and blushes slightly. Thinking, she sends out her thoughts to him. _I'm 'appy that I can still make you blush, Shuuhei, dear._ He physically relaxes a bit before answering her. _Before all of this happened I was neck deep in all the responsibilities of the ninth squad. I hardly ever stopped to take time out for myself. It's nice but still a little foreign._ She puts a hand on his bandaged chest and under her warm touch she can feel his heartbeat quicken. _But you see, we're not too different right? _He looks down and away, not wanting to meet her eyes. _You are the second group of people that have forced themselves into soul society and made us change our approach on how to enact justice. Since I became a soul reaper, I was taught to uphold justice no matter what the cost. You have slowly changed my view on what justice is._ She reaches up to touch his face. _Sometimes love, you 'ave to open your mind before you can truly see; now that you 'ave, you can do anything. _The telepath pulls the soul reaper close and kisses him deeply. She can feel that, despite his thoughts, there are no reservations in his body as he embraces her back as the sun slowly disappears behind the roofs of the ninth squad.

Jugs of sake litter the small sitting space that plays host to the four comrades as the night has finally caught up with them. Logan bows to Shunsui for his hospitality and the captain of the eighth squad tips his hat to his smaller friend.

**Shunsui:** 'I'm sending you a bill.'

The mutant smiles a toothy grin at the soul reaper. Rangiku had passed out about five minutes prior and is now in the strong embrace of the god of thunder. He cradles her in his arms with no effort as he steps out into the cool night air. Kyoraku leans against the door frame and waves lazily at the three as they depart. After a little time walking, Logan looks up at his taller ally.

**Wolverine:** 'This is my stop; ya gonna be alright gettin' her back to the tenth squad bub?'

**Thor:** 'Verily. She hath drunk much this night; I shall see to it that she rests easy.'

**Wolverine:** 'Don't do anythin' I wouldn't do, goldilocks.'

The god looks down at his smaller comrade with a question in his eyes.

**Wolverine:** 'Ya know she has the hots fer ya right? Fer a god, ya sure can be dense.'

**Thor:** 'Doth thou assume I would take advantage of this woman? I hath no intentions of doing anything like that.'

**Wolverine:** 'Sometimes ya don't have a choice; that dame might take advantage of you. I'll see ya tomorrow.'

He opens the door to his quarters and mock salutes the god of thunder before entering. Thor stares at the closed door for a moment longer before looking down at the female in his arms. Her lips are slightly pouted as she sleeps soundly; oblivious to where she is at. He smiles and sighs as he starts to walk to the tenth squad. A few minutes later he enters the grounds and stops just inside. He looks around and realizes he has never been to her quarters! The thunder god doesn't want to wake her from her slumber so he heads for his temporary room instead. Once he arrives, he slides the screen open with his foot and quietly enters the darkened room. Thankful that he does not need to sleep, he gently lowers her down on the unused futon. She lets out a small moan as his breath brushes past her ear and cheek. He kneels beside her and pulls the comforter up to her shoulders. A stray strand of hair falls across her face and he gingerly moves it away while running his fingers past her soft skin. As he goes to get up, the soul reaper's hands grab the nape of Thor's neck, entangling her fingers in his shoulder-length blonde hair. Surprised by her sudden movement, the god of thunder looks into her eyes; or he would if they were open! Rangiku moves to his ear and whispers;

**Rangiku:** 'Stay with me tonight…'

She then moves her lips slowly back to within an inch of his and just before they touch, Matsumoto passes out again, falling to his shoulder! As the beauty begins to snore softly, Thor closes his eyes and smiles to himself before lying her back down on the futon. He walks over to the other side of the room and takes his hammer, Mjllonir, from his side and looks it over. The large, stone-like weapon seems to hum with power as its master holds it. He lays it down near the wall as he too sits down to watch over the sleeping soul reaper.

Dr. Strange wakes before the sun breeches the windows of his quarters. The mystic does a ritual of stretches; mostly out of habit, because he knows that this is not his physical body. When he finishes his routine, he closes his eyes and after a moment of thought, the sorcerer supreme waves a hand through the air and it ripples an image into view. Stephen looks at the image of a large tree and lying under the tree is Bruce Banner, covered in a mass of what looks like a soul reaper's uniform, curled into ball; asleep. With another wave of his hand, the rippled image dissipates and the air returns to normal. The sorcerer supreme would hate to wake Betsy early, so instead of materializing in front of her and invading her privacy, he decides to simply visit her in a dream. Stephen sits crossed-legged on the floor and closes his eyes; when he opens them again he is standing in a world of black nothingness and in front of him is a plain wooden door with a round, brass handle. The mystic opens the door with a gloved hand and steps through into a white brilliance! As his eyes become accustomed to his new surroundings, he is no longer in his traditional attire and instead wears a white shirt, brown tie and slacks and a brown fedora hat. He looks around at Psylocke's dream and notices that it resembles his time-line's 1920's Chicago; or New York. He glances over to a near-by light post and sees the woman he is seeking standing next to it, reading a paper. Most of her purple hair is concealed by a hat that covers her ears as well. When Stephen walks over he gets a better view of what the front headline of the paper says.

"Daily Bugle Exclusive: Evil Monster running rampant in Soul Society!"

In smaller print, under the picture, it reads; photos by Peter Parker. There are other articles that litter the bottom of the page; "Green Meanie forgets who his friends are." Across from that one, another caption reads; "Love blossoms on the battle field? Details inside." After skimming over the paper, Dr. Strange thinks to himself; _you definitely must admire the mind._ The purple-haired mutant looks up from her paper and smiles at the newcomer.

**Psylocke:** ''Ello Stephen; fancy meeting you 'ere.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Good morning Betsy; I apologize for coming to you this way but I did not want to invade your physical space.'

She pauses before speaking and looks around at her world.

**Psylocke:** 'What an interesting scenario; it's funny what the mind will do to cope. What brings you to my sub-conscious like this?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I did not know that you had an affinity for the 1920's.'

**Psylocke:** 'I don't really; I think I pulled this from Shuu'ei's mind just before going to bed. I'll 'ave to ask 'im more about it later. Everything else is mine, I'm afraid.'

Stephen chuckles as she shrugs and looks sheepishly at him.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Do not fret my dear; your secret is safe with me. In all seriousness though, I did come here for a favor.'

**Psylocke:** 'What can I do for you doctor?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I want your help in preventing Thanos from gaining access to Hulk's baser tendencies. Teaming up, I believe we can set up a series of telepathic and magickal barriers inside Bruce's head, and when he transforms those blockers will carry over to Hulk's persona.'

**Psylocke:** 'Nothing too taxing, ya?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'It would be another story entirely if we were to try this on the Hulk. Bruce's mind should prove to be much easier to maneuver.'

**Psylocke:** 'When would you like to start this little get together?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'The sooner the better; Banner is sleeping soundly at the moment, and I would like to get to him before he wakes. When I leave here, you will wake; I will teleport you to his location when you are ready.'

She closes her eyes and nods and then Stephen spins on his heel and a door once again appears in front of him. He opens it and steps through. Back in the empty blackness, he closes his eyes and when he opens them, he is back in his room. He gets to his feet and then vanishes without a sound! Instantly, he appears before the still sleeping human and patiently waits for Betsy's signal. A few minutes later he hears her thoughts in his head as if she was standing next to him. _Stephen? I'm ready;_ in his head she yawns. _It's bloody early to be doing this in my opinion. _ He smiles at her irritation; _I share your complaint, but time is a luxury we unfortunately do not have._ He closes his eyes and creates a portal for her to walk through. She sees the doorway ripple to life in front of her and after taking one last look at the sleeping soul reaper, she sighs and steps through; her next step is on dew-kissed grass and to her right is the sorcerer supreme. In front of her is a slowly stirring Bruce Banner. Standing back a few feet, Dr. Strange kneels down and whispers to the brown-haired man.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Bruce? Can you hear me? We need you to wake up.'

A slight incoherent mumble escapes Bruce's lips as he rolls over to face the two people. He blinks groggily and then finally focuses on the mystic.

**Bruce:** 'Will I ever be able to just wake up on my own for once? I get it, you need the Hulk; hang on.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Actually, Bruce, we were wondering if we could have a few words with you.'

**Bruce:** 'This's a change.'

**Psylocke:** 'Stephen and I want to make sure that 'Ulk 'as an advantage against Thanos the next time 'e sees 'im.'

**Bruce:** 'What do you mean? What happened last time? Wait; I remember- Thanos attacking Hulk- Oh my god! When did that monster get so powerful?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'That is what we are going to find out. Bruce; with your ability to share memories with Hulk, we were hoping that we could amplify your psionic defenses and hopefully they will carry over to Hulk when you transform.'

Banner looks shocked at the two other heroes in front of him before looking down as he runs a hand through his unruly brown mane.

**Bruce:** 'I don't know if it works that way. I mean, Hulk's been able to manifest what I've needed in the past, but you know his mind is so unstable to begin with.'

**Psylocke:** 'That's why we need to strengthen your mind instead of 'is. If Stephen and I were to try this on 'im, we would probably pass out from the strain.'

**Bruce:** 'Alright; if you think this is going to work, I'll let you try. Be careful not to unlock anything that might trigger an unforced change. Stephen; you've seen inside my mind before. You know how barely contained that monster is.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I am well aware of the dangers in trying something like this. But under the circumstances, I fear we have little choice. Are you ready Betsy?'

**Psylocke:** 'I'll go in first and see what 'is 'ead looks like; you can come in after and do what you need to.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Very well.'

Bruce lies back down on the ground as Psylocke moves to position herself at the top of his head. She kneels on the still wet grass and places both of her palms on either side of his temples. She closes her eyes and mentally transports herself inside the man's mind. On the physical plane, Dr. Strange levitates off of the ground as he centers himself. He forms archaic patterns with his fingers and erects a magickal circle around the prone Banner. Inside Bruce's head, Betsy walks on a tiled floor, and is in what appears to be a lab of some kind. She walks down a long corridor with sterile, white walls and soon comes to an exit with double doors. The telepath, unfamiliar with this mind, hesitates momentarily before putting her hand on the push handle. Before she opens the door however, she hears Stephen's thoughts as an echo. _I am almost ready to join you Psylocke; how are you doing? _The purple-haired female thinks back; _good I think; I 'ate to admit it, but I think Emma would be much better at this than me. _ He chuckles; _Do not worry; I have seen his mind many times; I will help you._ She nods as she opens the door and enters a large circular room with many "cages". That would be the best way to describe what Betsy sees. There are huge cells built into the room and each one has thick glass as its door; almost like an observation room. In the center of the massive room is a large circular cell that is built directly into the floor. This one is much different than the glass cells; the door to this is thick and heavy which resembles a manhole cover with many latticed, steel bars locked into place. Just looking at the space in the floor gives her the creeps. She then cautiously walks up to a mist-tinted window and suddenly comes face to face with Hulk! Startled, she steps back and composes herself once more. Looking more closely at the creature, she notices that it is Hulk but something is different. This Hulk has slightly more hair and is seemingly smaller than her current teammate. The creature in Bruce's mind puts a large hand, palm first, up to the glass.

**Hulk:** 'Hello Miss; I don't think we've met.'

Just then Dr. Strange enters the room from the same doors that Betsy had just come from.

**Dr. Strange:** 'What you are looking at, I believe, is Bruce's control over Hulk. Periodically he will gain a semblance of control; similar to what he has now, however this one lacks the rage that is necessary to truly fuel the jade giant.'

Suddenly the room shakes violently and the lights in Banner's mind flicker as an inhuman roar shatters the semi-silence! Psylocke jumps back, taken aback by the pounding of fist on unbreakable glass coming from the next cell! Dr. Strange takes the lead as the two come to stop in front of the smeared observation window. Standing a little taller and slightly larger than the Hulk they had just witnessed, is another Hulk. Stephen calmly walks up to the glass and turns his back to it as he speaks to the mutant.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Ah; this version would be known as "mindless Hulk". This is who crushed my leg yesterday. He is a baby; throwing tantrums and just reacting to his surroundings. He is dangerous, but not the most feared of the Hulks that we will meet today.'

**Psylocke:** 'This is unreal; I've read the 'Ulk's bio on our computers back at the mansion, but I 'ad no idea 'e 'ad split into so many personalities!'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Dr. Bruce Banner has one of the most fascinating minds I have ever come across. He also has one of the most disturbing ones as well.'

They walk to the next cell and they find a much smaller gray-hued Hulk leaning calmly against one of the sides of his room.

**Psylocke:** 'I've heard Logan tell stories of this one;

"Mr. Fixit" was what 'e called 'im.'

Mr. Fixit tilts his head in the direction of the woman as she mentions the short scrapper's name. He lifts himself off of the wall and lumbers forward to stand at the glass. He is dressed in a fine Armani suit and has rings adorning his large grey fingers. He folds his arms, which are still impressive, across his chest and looks down at Psylocke.

**Mr. Fixit:** 'You know that little man? I got tons of beef with him.'

Stephen casually pulls Psylocke by the arm and away from the intimidating creature. They come to yet another glass encasing and have to look deep into the back of the room to see light glinting of what are a Hulk's eyes. Heavy breathing, almost seething, can be heard from the darkened room.

**Dr. Strange:** 'This would be what is known as savage Hulk. Every one of Bruce's transformations represent a time period in his life that he can not possibly deal with. I have talked in length with Doctor Samson; Bruce essentially has a Multiple Personality Disorder due to the gamma radiation that his body has absorbed. If you have the mindless one that represents Bruce's infant stages, Savage Hulk represents the time in Bruce's life in which his father murdered his mother. All of the rage and anger that he feels is given a voice by that one.'

They continue to walk around the room and off to the right, hidden away, is a deep, dark cave. Where the light hits, the two can see shimmering ice and what looks like many "frozen" Hulks that aren't anywhere near this room. They proceed past the cave and on to the next enclosure. Sitting behind a large desk in the middle of the room is the largest Hulk yet. He has on a black form-fitting tank top and pressed khaki pants. His hair is clean cut and he has a content look upon his face. Upon seeing the two people approach, the mammoth gets up and walks up to the glass.

**Dr. Strange:** 'You may have had dealings with this one. He is known as the Professor and he represents the closest thing Bruce has to a merger of his personalities. He has the savage one's strength, Bruce's intelligence and Mr. Fixit's confidence.'

They have walked full circle around the huge room and now stand across from one another at the center where the large sealed area is.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Psychic barriers are more your expertise than mine, my dear. I will provide you with back up and further strengthen your telepathy.'

**Psylocke:** 'In order to do this properly we'll 'ave to put up a barrier for each individual 'Ulk and then I think we should pay attention to that cave and this large dungeon below us.'

Stephen nods in agreement and grounds himself as Betsy closes her eyes and puts her fingers to her temples. As she begins her psychic strengthening, a pink butterfly-like symbol forms from her forehead and flows outward. Psylocke begins to feel each individual mind and within minutes, she starts to put psychic armor on the representations of Bruce's innermost feelings. Dr. Strange, meanwhile, puts up magickal barriers around the containment cells. Archaic symbols paint the floor and glass of each room until the entire area inside Banner's mind is washed in a red and pink glow. Surprisingly, the conflicting personalities put up little resistance to the invasion by the unknown female. From what Betsy can pick up, they all have knowledge of Thanos and what he did earlier, and none of them want to be abused again. She puts the finishing touches on her shields and turns her attention to the cave that is in the back of the room. Even though it isn't a physical place, the mind can make things very real, and as the mutant telepath psychically makes contact with the secluded place, her breath becomes misty and she feels a cold chill race through her body.

**Psylocke:** 'Stephen, I'm not a psychologist, but this cave and the 'Ulks that are in stasis; I don't think they've been awakened yet. There's no telling what would 'appen if Thanos unlocked these.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I agree, Betsy; let us pray that our defenses are strong enough that the titan can not get through.'

The two double their efforts on the secluded cave and its inhabitants. The last part of their endeavor is the mysterious and ominous locked dungeon below their feet. Psylocke kneels down and puts a hand on the surface of the gate that is barring the structure. Instantly she feels dread and loathing as she shudders, and pulls her hand away!

**Psylocke:** 'Bloody 'ell! Whatever's be'ind this gate should definitely be left alone!'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I feel it too; a presence most foul.'

Psylocke steadies herself once more and outstretches her arms. Mental power flows outward from her form and encircles the area. She strains against the almost overwhelming presence that she feels resisting her from below. Dr. Strange, seeing her difficulty, recites an ancient double incantation that he adds to her power. Suddenly the room goes bright with energy as the two combine their powers to completely seal the personalities residing in the mind of Bruce Banner. On the outside, Betsy breathes out and gets up from the now sun-drenched grass. She wipes her forehead and looks over at the mystic who is also coming out of his magickal trance. Bruce slowly opens his eyes and sits up in his over-sized soul reaper kimono. He uses the near-by tree for support as he gets to his bare feet.

**Bruce:** 'I felt the two of you in my head, but I couldn't reach out to you. I hope Hulk didn't give you too much trouble.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'He was not a problem; we actually sensed the others wanting to protect their minds so they let us do our jobs.'

Stephen glances over to his female teammate as he sends out his thoughts to her. _I think it is best that we do not share our findings with him. I do not know if he is aware of the dark presence that we dealt with. We should not alarm him if there is not a need to do so._ Psylocke doesn't respond telepathically; instead she puts a hand on the slender man's shoulder.

**Psylocke:** ''Ow do you feel Bruce?'

**Bruce:** 'I feel… good; my mind is actually quiet. Maybe I can look to you two for a cure.'

Almost instantly Betsy senses a low rumble in the man's mind and almost smiles to herself before Bruce quickly adds;

**Bruce:** 'Or maybe not.'

The three share a nervous laugh as Stephen and Betsy both know how much Banner would like to be rid of his "curse". Just then, the mystic looks over Betsy's shoulder to a figure walking up to them. He has bright red hair that is pulled back into a wild pony tail and tattoos adorning his tall frame. Renji Abarai is followed by Tetsuzaemon Iba and Ikkaku Madarame. The three soul reapers stop just before they get to the others.

**Ikkaku:** 'See? I told ya he changes into a scrawny man when he sleeps.'

**Iba:** 'That's not very manly.'

**Renji:** 'Is that really you Hulk? I mean every time I see you your huge and green.'

The two heroes look at Bruce to see how he responds to the curious soul reaper.

**Bruce:** 'Well you two, lets see what Hulk thinks of the job you did on me. You two soul reapers; are you ready for this?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'If I am not mistaken, I sense a little more confidence within you doctor.'

**Bruce:** 'Maybe; whatever you did, I feel a little better about letting the big guy out.'

As the 5'9" 128 pound Bruce Banner clenches his fists, Dr. Strange and Psylocke both take a step back simultaneously to give him room to transform. As everyone looks on, the human once again morphs and changes before them. The loose garments soon become snug and standing before the impressed sixth squad lieutenant is the Incredible Hulk! As the two who performed the psychic shielding look over the jade giant, they can't tell if anything is different but Hulk's confident face says that something has definitely changed within him.

**Hulk:** 'Hey; what do you guys want?'

Renji looks over at the bald soul reaper and his partner with the shades and then back at the large creature before him.

**Renji:** 'Man that's impressive. We were walkin' around lookin' for you to see if you wanted to spar with us. Ikkaku says you're pretty fun to fight.'

**Hulk:** 'He said that, huh?'

The green-hued behemoth rolls his massive shoulders in a mock warm-up before he gives his answer.

**Hulk:** 'If you guys are ready to get your butts kicked, then I'm up for anything you got.'

The third seat of squad eleven grins as he grips his zanbakutou. Without looking back at the other two, Hulk walks off, following the three spirited men. After a minute spent in silence, Betsy and Strange look at one another.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I am off to meet with Kisuke Urahara for some training of my own.'

**Psylocke:** 'Kisuke's 'ere? '

**Dr. Strange:** 'Indeed. He comes across as aloof, but that man has a contingency for his contingencies. He persuaded the head captain to help train us in the use of the soul reaper's abilities.'

She raises an eyebrow and moves a few strands of hair away from her face. The mystic nods his head and vanishes before her eyes.

**Psylocke:** 'Well, what should a girl do now?'

She smiles wickedly as a thought crosses her mind.

**Psylocke:** 'Shuu'ei dear, what are you up to?'

She silently moves away and back towards the ninth squad.

Logan hears the flutter of birds and the rustle of leaves before he rolls over to his back. He lies there with his upper half exposed just listening to the sounds of this world. They're not very different than what he's used to hearing back home. Maybe a little purer but unless anyone has his hearing, they wouldn't be able to tell. Within minutes, he hears a familiar pair of feet walking towards his room. They are paired, almost in unison by another, slightly shorter gait. Without opening his eyes, the scruffy man puts his hands behind his head as he smiles and waits for the inevitable tap on his door.

**Yoruichi:** 'Logan; are you still sleeping?'

**Soifon:** 'He's probably passed out and hung over from drinking with Kyoraku last night.'

**Yoruichi:** 'How would you know he was drinking with the captain of the eighth squad?'

**Soifon:** 'Wha- I- it is my duty as the captain of the stealth force to know what goes on in soul society at all times!'

A little scuffling outside his door; snickering and teasing can be heard as the hairy mutant just lies there waiting. After a minute or two he sighs and gets out of bed. He silently moves to the door and as he does the teasing stops and silence returns to the area. Wolverine opens the door and pokes his head out with a grin on his face.

**Wolverine:** ''Lo ladies; what can I do fer ya?'

Soifon blushes as Yoruichi gets in one more, well-placed elbow before answering the hair-suit man.

**Yoruichi:** 'Logan; I wanted to personally teach you in the art of shunpo and Soifon wanted to help.'

The captain of squad two stiffens and scoffs, embarrassed, before turning her head in annoyance. The chocolate-skinned female smirks at her former bodyguard before turning back to Logan.

**Wolverine:** 'Sure; sounds fun, let me just get some clothes on.'

He intentionally leaves the door ajar as he walks back to where he has left his kimono. Yoruichi moves aside and lets Soifon catch a glimpse of the hairy man's backside! As Wolverine walks back over to the ladies with just his pants and sandals on, he sees Soifon with a deep blush soaked into her cheeks and an evil glare directed at her mentor.

**Soifon:** 'You have absolutely no shame, Yoruichi-sama.'

He casually swings his top over his bare shoulder as he walks past the two women.

**Wolverine:** 'I'll follow the two of ya wherever ya go.'

**Yoruichi:** 'Alright; try to keep up!'

With that the women vanish, and Logan is left with two swirling clouds of dust kicked up in their wake. He hangs his head and sighs as he mutters to himself.

**Wolverine:** 'Couldn't let a guy wake up first couldja?'

He sniffs the air and follows Soifon and Yoruichi's unique and familiar scents.

**Editor's Notes: Hey all; I don't mean to take so long on updating my chapters. I've been kind of busy so I hope it's a forgivable offense lol. I have something in the works that may make Thanos en even greater threat than he already is. I was hoping you could provide feedback as to what road I should take; should I give Thanos his very own group of arrancar? Not many, mind you, but just enough to aid him instead of always pulling out "fodder hollow". Let me know what you all think. Happy Reading!**


	24. A New Game

**Marvel/Bleach**

**A New Game  
**

Dr. Strange materializes where he senses Kisuke Urahara to be; but as he looks around the flat, wind-blown area, he sees no one. He takes this time to mystically contact the god of thunder who is still keeping watch over the tenth squad lieutenant. He appears before Thor as a transparent image and the blonde god looks up from his sitting position.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Thor; I was hoping that you would accompany me to learn some of the soul reaper's kidou techniques.'

**Thor:** 'Tis so. I hath been vigilant fort this woman throughout the night; it be time to serve mine purpose here.'

He takes his hammer and once again secures it to his waist as he gets to his feet. The mystic's image vanishes and it is replaced by a rippling doorway. Thor looks through the portal to the sleeping soul reaper on the other side and smiles as he steps through. Thor's hair and Stephen's cape billow in the dry morning air of this barren expanse of land. Suddenly in the distance, movement catches Thor's keen eyes and he moves his head in the direction of the person standing on an outcropping of rock. Urahara's black coat is seen moving about in the wind as well. He puts his hand on his hat to keep it from blowing off as he vanishes once more and then touches down in front of the two men.

**Kisuke:** 'Good morning you two. Dr. Strange; I trust all went well with your big green friend?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'We will hope for the best; he is out training with three soul reapers as we speak.'

**Kisuke:** 'Excellent. Thor; I understand that your hammer can absorb energy?'

**Thor:** 'Aye.'

**Kisuke:** 'Good; we'll see what it's learned so far.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'You said yesterday that you had someone that you wanted to help in our training. Who did you have in mind?'

From the distance, a solemn, yet regal, disembodied voice rings out around them. Instantly, a long, black-haired soul reaper appears next to the striped hatted man.

**Byakuya:** 'Urahara; when you begged me to help you, you didn't say it was for training outsiders.'

**Kisuke:** 'Didn't I? Huh, you're going to be helping me train Dr. Strange and Thor in the use of kidou.'

**Byakuya:** 'It's too advanced for them; Kurosaki can not even use the most basic of our skills.'

**Kisuke:** 'Ichigo can't detect spiritual pressure without concentrating either. Stephen here knows where any one of us is at any given time; even you. Thor's hammer absorbs all kinds of energy. Aren't you a little curious to see what these two can do?'

**Byakuya:** 'No.'

He turns in one fluid motion and before he can use flash step, Thor speaks in a commanding voice.

**Thor:** 'Observing thou just now, Captain Kuchiki, Odin's Son hath realized that it be not just us thou loath; but everyone.'

The captain of the sixth squad stops for a moment and without turning around to speak to the god, he responds;

**Byakuya:** 'You believe that I loath you? Loathing would require interest, and interest would require my attention. You do not require my attention.'

As Thor listens to the soul reaper's words he frowns, becoming irritated by his continued lack of respect. Byakuya goes to depart again and this time he is stopped by a single, thin bolt of lightning that strikes the ground before his feet, causing dust and dirt to spray in all directions! When the debris finally clears, the captain vanishes. The only indication of his whereabouts is the movement of Thor's hair as the stoic Kuchiki appears behind the god of thunder! Before Thor can react, Kisuke is also there with his cane up, blocking an attack from the noble! Surprised by the halt of his attack, Byakuya stands there, sword to cane, with the shaggy-haired former captain.

**Kisuke:** 'He didn't attack you, sixth captain; he just wanted to get your attention. Now you can loath him; or you can help me train them and enact a measure of revenge. Your choice though.'

Byakuya looks at the man before him and after a few seconds closes his eyes and fluidly sheaths his sword.

**Byakuya:** 'When I'm through here, they will not want to train anymore.'

He turns to the man he nearly attacked.

**Byakuya:** 'Do not think that your lightning frightens me.'

**Thor:** 'Tis not meant to frighten; mine quarrel be not with thee. We doth ask fort yon help; that be all.'

With the tension dying down for the time being, Kisuke clears his throat and walks a few feet away from Thor and Dr. Strange. Byakuya flash steps away to a further distance and tucks his arms away into the sleeves of his kimono. The geta-clad man looks over to the captain and lets out an audible sigh as he adjusts his hat. He then looks back toward the patient mystic and his much larger companion.

**Kisuke:** 'I'm going to start by teaching you binding kidou called Bakudo or "way of binding", Stephen-san. I think I'll let Captain Kuchiki teach Thor our offensive kidou called Hado or "way of destruction".'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Very well; what would you have me do?'

**Kisuke:** 'First; how much do you know already?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I am now well aware of the energy patterns that are used in conjuring kidou. Everyone's kidou prowess is only limited to their own inner power.'

**Kisuke:** 'That's right; our spiritual pressure dictates how powerful our kidou can be. You will be different it seems as you have no spiritual pressure but you have vast magickal abilities already.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'My abilities allow me to tap into and harness any magick around me; even if it is not my own.'

**Kisuke:** 'Alright, here are the basics; both types of kidou are ranked in potency from one to ninety-nine. Each spell also has an incantation that can be said to strengthen an attack. A captain such as our friend over there could use a low level Hado skill without an incantation and it would still have an effect of a middle level skill used by a lower ranked user.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I see; if you have a list of the spells, I could learn them and their incantations on my own without you having to go through any trouble.'

**Kisuke:** 'This isn't any trouble; plus it gets me to stretch my legs a little. I hardly get out anymore. I'm curious about something though; do you rely only on your magick, or can you fight as well?'

Stephen smiles slightly as he listens to the question that Urahara poses.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I have been trained in the ways of many forms of armed and unarmed combat.'

**Kisuke:** 'Good; it'll make training go by faster if you have to think on your feet.'

The former twelfth captain lowers his head so his eyes are covered in shadow and smiles at the mystic. A few feet away, Thor looks over to where Byakuya has been standing while all of this is going on. The raven-haired soul reaper has his eyes closed and is not even paying attention it would seem.

**Thor:** 'Captain Kuchiki; me thinks we should begin as well. Every minute spent idle maketh Thanos more dangerous.'

The captain continues to ignore the situation, as his haori blows in the breeze. Thor looks back at the other two and sees Urahara ready himself into a fighting stance and Dr. Strange takes up a unique stance as well. Kisuke's wooden sandals barely make a sound as he rushes Stephen. The blonde goes to swing with an open palm strike and as Strange readies for the attack, Kisuke quickly drops down and plants his other hand on the ground and comes up with a kick instead! Surprised, the mystic still manages to block the attack with his forearm. Stephen tries to counter by swinging his leg out to trip Urahara up, but the former soul reaper deftly avoids the offense by flipping over the attack and landing a few feet way. After a few seconds, Kisuke stands up from his crouch and adjusts his hat.

**Kisuke:** 'Impressive; you move quite well and you seem to train regularly.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Thank you; you are very fluid in your movements as well. Seeing that I had a defense set up for your original attack, you quickly changed direction and speed to counter. If you were serious, I would not have stood a chance.'

Urahara rubs the back of his neck while waving off the mystic's modest comments. Meanwhile, Thor still hasn't had any luck getting the captain of the sixth squad to engage him in training. Growing more and more frustrated, Thor throws his hammer into the air as he lifts himself off of the ground towards the soul reaper. He touches down with his back to Byakuya and then turns to face his defiant antagonist.

**Thor:** 'Proud captain, I beseech thee to put away yon intolerance of us and share thy knowledge.'

**Byakuya:** 'Are you not powerful enough?'

**Thor:** 'This be not about power! Tis be to keep the titan from preparing for us. He hath great knowledge of how mine comrades fight, but Thanos be ignorant of thee.'

**Byakuya:** 'Even though this Thanos is your enemy, he is now affecting our way of life. He is our problem and soul society will deal with him.'

**Thor: ** 'Yon logic is infuriating! Thanos wilt crush thy bones under foot if underestimated.'

**Byakuya:** 'You said yourself that he doesn't know who he's up against. Perhaps it is time to show you what kind of power the captains of the thirteen court guard squads possess.'

He flash steps away from the god of thunder and reappears several yards away. Thor tenses for battle but doesn't draw his hammer. Kuchiki raises his right hand as he points his index and middle finger at Odin's Son.

**Byakuya:** 'Hado, number four: Byakurai.'

Instantly, white-blue electricity erupts from his fingers and hurls towards the waiting god. Thor doesn't move or even attempts to dodge the energy; instead, he lets it hit him directly in the chest! The smell of ozone permeates the air as Dr. Strange and Urahara stop to see what has happened. As impressive as the light show is, Thor is still standing in the same spot with barely a scratch on him! He frowns at the sixth squad captain and Byakuya looks back at him with indifference.

**Thor:** 'Doth thou see now, captain? Twas this a real battle, ye might be already felled; for Thanos be e'en more resilient than I.'

**Byakuya: ** 'I used a low level destructive spell that time; this is, after all, practice and I didn't want you get hurt. If you feel that this isn't powerful enough, then let me show you something else.'

He once again uses flash step and this time, appears several meters above his sparring partner. Thor watches as the captain of the sixth squad holds out his hand again, and this time Thor takes out his hammer. As the god of thunder looks on, the soul reaper begins to speak.

**Byakuya:** 'Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! Hado, number sixty-three: Raikoho!'

As the incantation is being spoken, yellow energy sparks and dances around the captain's frame. Wind blows his scarf and haori about violently as he finishes his incantation. Yellow energy seems to engulf his entire arm before shooting out violently towards the tensed Thor. The massive yellow energy beam barrels down on the blonde hero who puts up his hammer just as the attack reaches his position! The entire area goes white with light and the two spectators have to shield their eyes from the display. As Dr. Strange's eyes once again adjust to the light, he sees Thor with Mjolnir at his side. The head of the hammer is smoking and the ground under Thor is blasted out in the form of a small crater, but otherwise there is no ill effects from the enormous attack. Thor looks up and catches Byakuya's expression which is that of surprise, but then is quickly masked over by his normal, stoic demeanor. The captain slowly falls back to the ground and lightly touches down. He walks past Thor without saying a word and goes to stand near Kisuke.

**Byakuya:** 'I believe I've helped enough; we will destroy Thanos when next we see him.'

Not waiting for the former twelfth captain's reply, he vanishes, leaving the three men alone. Urahara looks at Dr. Strange and then to Thor;

**Kisuke: ** 'Don't tell him this, but I think the captain has a new found respect for you and your hammer.'

Thor doesn't say anything but nods his understanding. The blonde god feels pride but also a little irritation at the way things went. He clenches his weapon tighter as he looks down at it. Barely visible energy can be seen rippling around the stone-like head of the mighty hammer. Thor ponders this as he feels the energy flow through him. _Tis so, Mjolnir; Byakuya hath given unto thee new power! Verily; we shalt use this power in our war with Thanos. _Without saying another word to the other two men, he swings his hammer into the air and lifts off of the ground. Dr. Strange watches as his companion vanishes into the distance. After a few seconds, the mystic turns back to his own training partner.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Did you see how Thor's hammer absorbed the energy? Even now, I can sense a powerful change within his weapon.'

**Kisuke: ** 'It was an impressive display to say the least; Captain Kuchiki used a full incantation and a higher level spell. Raikoho is very dangerous when used properly, and Thor seemed to take it quite easily.

**Dr. Strange: ** 'I will remember that incantation for my own purposes as well.'

Urahara pulls out his fan and covers his face with it as he speaks.

**Kisuke:** 'I don't know how fair that is; you came here for my help and you end up learning kidou from Byakuya.'

Stephen folds his arms and looks at the other man.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I do not recall saying that I was finished with my training, my friend.'

**Kisuke: ** 'Well, let's get down to business then; you've proven that you can handle yourself in hand-to-hand combat. Now show me how you do with weapons.'

As Urahara finishes speaking, he takes his simple wooden cane and holds it out in front of his body. He smiles knowingly at the mystic before slowly unsheathing a hidden sword! Overhead, the light of the sun glints off of the thin blade as its full length is revealed. Witnessing his opponent draw a hidden sword, Strange holds out both hands; palms facing the hatted man. Without saying anything, purple smoke begins to swirl around his gloved hands and then the smoke is quickly turned into two, ornately carved scimitars.

**Kisuke:** 'A little flashy don't you think?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I tend to be a bit dramatic in my conjuration.'

Kisuke smiles again with a bit of understanding in his face. As the two men once again take up fighting stances, Urahara rushes in for a straight attack! Strange narrowly dodges a stab to the shoulder while coming across to the former soul reaper's head with a strike from one his own swords! He deftly avoids the blow by ducking and then weaves around the mystic's other sword strike that is intended to slice his mid-section! After missing with both of his attacks, Stephen readies himself for another round as Urahara spins on his geta and faces the physically older man.

**Kisuke:** 'You're quite skilled, Stephen-san; you wouldn't make a bad soul reaper if you were here permanently.'

Stephen knows that the man is complimenting him, but the realization that he and his friends could possibly die here in their spirit forms and in another dimension, quickly brings him back to the seriousness of the situation.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Your praise does not go unheard, Kisuke; but if it is all the same to you, I would rather not find out what kind of soul reaper I would make.'

Urahara chuckles as he catches the mystic's meaning and then reverts to a more serious demeanor. He sheathes his sword and stands up to his full height as he looks at Stephen.

**Kisuke:** 'Alright doctor; kidou is not as hard as you might believe. You already have a great deal of mystical energy so catching on should be simple. Kidou can be used for all sorts of things.'

He casually walks up to the mystic and places a hand on his caped-shoulder.

**Kisuke:** 'Like this; restrain.'

Instantly and uncontrollably, the mystic's arms lock behind his back and he falls to one knee! Knowing this is training, Stephen doesn't use magick to break the kidou and after a few seconds, Urahara releases the spell.

**Kisuke:** 'Bakudou can be simple or complex, depending on what you want to achieve. skilled users can combine different techniques for varying affects. Are you ready for more?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'The skill you had just used is called "restrain"?'

**Kisuke:** 'I used the English translation; the term we use is "sai". It is way of binding, number one. It requires the caster to physically touch their opponent.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I see; the moment you touched me, I felt the spell flow through my body.'

**Kisuke:** 'Is that so? This is going to be easier than I thought. Feeling the energy used to direct a spell is crucial to a spell's potency.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Before we begin again, I would like to lay down a blanket of detection and reading spells if you do not mind. The kidou that are used in the confines of my spells will transfer the required technique and energy pattern into me directly.'

**Kisuke:** 'Some would call that cheating.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Look at it as a way to speed things along.'

The two men share a chuckle before the mystic gets to work conjuring seals and covering the wide area with a series of incantations designed to gather and record their workout. After several minutes of this, he turns back to Kisuke and nods to let the man know that he has finished. Urahara scratches his scruffy chin and then begins to teach Dr. Strange many different kidou techniques.

At that same moment, many miles away, Psylocke is walking in a grassy plain with large trees scattered throughout the area. When she originally went through Stephen's portal to get to where Bruce was sleeping, she didn't realize how far away he was from the ninth squad's headquarters. She muses to herself; _if I would 'ave known where Stephen was taking me, I would 'ave asked 'im for a return portal! _As she continues to walk, she suddenly hears the sound of crunching leaves and twigs underfoot not far from her position. As Betsy stops to listen, a black-cloaked figure steps out from behind one of the large trees that are in front of her. The figure doesn't say anything and Psylocke uses a telepathic probe to get a better fix on the figure's intentions. Darkness. A quiet calm is all Psylocke can detect; as if the person in front of her is not even there at all! A few seconds go by and the female telepath tries to discern the mystery figure's intentions by their body language. The being in front of her is about 5'8" and because of the full body cloak and hood the person is wearing, Betsy can't tell if it is a man or woman. The tension grows thicker as the person just stands there. Psylocke throws out another more powerful probe and this time the being in front of her speaks.

**?:** 'You'll find that your telepathy doesn't work on the likes of me, mutant.'

Surprised by the barely audible whisper that escapes the female's mouth, Psylocke scrambles for answers.

**Psylocke:** 'Wait; 'ow do you know that I'm a mutant and a telepath? Are you a soul reaper?'

The woman's cloak moves with the wind as seconds pass before she gives her reply.

**?: ** 'Don't insult me by assuming I'm a hypocritical false god; it makes me sick to even be standing on this damned soil. Let's just say you and I know a mutual acquaintance who requires your presence.'

Psylocke has to strain as the female in front of her continues to speak in a whisper. Though she speaks softly, Betsy can tell that her words carry all the venom and disdain of someone who is shouting.

**Psylocke:** 'Are you in league with Thanos? Do you know 'e intends to destroy all of soul society just because 'e believes 'e can?'

**?:** 'Of course I do; it's why I'm helping him. Now sleep.'

Before Psylocke can put up any type of defense or even attempt to contact the others, her world goes black and she slips into oblivion!

At the same time as Thor and Dr. Strange train with Kisuke and Byakuya, Wolverine catches up to the two women's scents. He comes to a large barren stretch of land that only has a few small bushes scattered through out the area. His brain instinctually tries to find defensive and offensive positions around the area. To his frustration, there isn't any such positions to be found!

**Wolverine:** 'Damn.'

Suddenly Yoruichi appears before the small man, followed closely by Soi Fon. The second squad captain is seen with her trademark frown adorning her otherwise attractive face and the chocolate-skinned woman has a confident smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. Logan looks at the two women and notices three white ribbons, about two feet long, in Yoruichi's hand. She takes one of the ribbons and holds it out for the mutant to take. As he accepts the fabric, Logan tilts his head to the side and scoffs;

**Wolverine:** 'What's this darlin'?'

**Yoruichi:** 'It's your flag; in the world of the living they play a game called "capture the flag". Have you heard of it?'

**Wolverine:** 'I've heard of it. So we're gonna play a game?'

**Soi Fon:** 'Stop being so dense; do you want Lady Yoruichi to help you become faster or not?'

The former soul reaper looks over at her companion and rolls her eyes.

**Yoruichi:** 'Now Soi, you said you'd try and behave.'

**Soi Fon:** 'I am trying.'

Yoruichi gives the other ribbon to her partner and then ties hers loosly around her neck. Soi Fon ties hers around her wrist and after watching the two women, the canucklehead wraps his around his wrist as well.

**Yoruichi:** 'A couple hundred years ago, when Byakuya was a kid, I used to tease him with this same game. Of course, I would take his prized scarfs as the incentive; otherwise he would've just pouted and screamed at me. He's avoided me as much as he can ever since.'

**Wolverine:** '"A couple hundred years ago"? Ya don't look a day over 30!'

**Yoruichi:** 'Yeah, so? I take care of my skin.'

Logan chuckles and then gets back to business.

**Wolverine:** 'Alright, what do ya want me ta do ladies?'

**Yoruichi:** 'It's really simple; just catch us. Once you do that, you'll have completed your training.'

**Wolverine: ** 'That's it? No fighting?'

**Soi Fon: ** 'If you want to get beaten even worse, then I will be happy to oblige.'

**Yoruichi:** 'Having the speed to dodge attacks is sometimes more valuable than being able to land them. You can absorb a lot of punishment due to your healing factor, Logan, but imagine if you could save your body the pain by simply not getting hit at all? That's what this training is all about.'

**Wolverine:** 'Alright, I'm game; let's get started.'

**Yoruichi:** 'Remember; all you have to do is catch us.'

She smiles a cat-like grin at the mutant before skipping back several feet. Wolverine tightens the ribbon on his wrist and then breaks into a dead sprint right at the beautiful noble. She smiles even wider as he gets closer to her, and just as he stretches out his hand to grab at the white cloth around her neck, she vanishes before his eyes! His momentum carries him a few yards further as he comes to a stop, kicking up dust in his wake. She re-appears behind him, snickering, as she effortlessly unties his flag and dangles it in front of his face.

**Wolverine:** 'Damn that's fast; ya could give a few o' my friends back home a lesson in speed!'

**Yoruichi:** 'You see? We can teach you to harness that natural ability to move at our speed. Just let your mind go and have your instincts take over.'

**Wolverine:** 'Instincts? I think I can do that.'

She tosses the cloth back to him and he once again ties it to his wrist. She vanishes and in her place appears Soi Fon. She folds her arms as she looks at the hairy mutant.

**Soi Fon: ** 'Are you ready to play for real? In our first battle, I didn't know anything about you. I know your fighting style and how you react now and this time you won't touch me.'

**Wolverine:** 'That's too bad, darlin; I like the way your skin feels.'

The captain of squad two grits her teeth and glares evily at him while unable to conceal a slight blush to her cheeks. Thinking that she is distracted, Logan quickly rushes in to grab her flag; but as soon as he does, he finds himself on his back in a cloud of dust! Coughing, he gets back up and brushes his clothes off while smiling.

**Wolverine:** 'I thought there wasn't gonna be any contact this go 'round?'

**Soi Fon:** 'Yoruichi-sama said that; I, however, made no such promise.'

She vanishes before his eyes and the pattern of Logan getting close to either women's flag and then getting beat to the punch goes on for several hours. With every near miss, he does learn a little more as he sees more and more of each of their movements. He finds himself going after Soi Fon more often, not because he feels that he can catch her yet, but rather because he likes how rough she is with him. With every exchange, he can smell her getting more and more excited; despite what she says to the contrary. He senses Yoruichi is enjoying herself too, as she hasn't been able to cut loose very often he suspects.

Hulk feels much more in control after his interaction with Dr. Strange and Psylocke. As he walks with the three smaller soul reapers around him, he notices that none of them seem to hold a grudge against him for the beating they took at his hands yesterday. Though there is still a small amount of regret that he feels, for the most part, he has turned it into determination for when he next meets up with Thanos. As they walk, the bald third seat of squad eleven walks a little ways ahead and turns around to face the others while still continuing to walk in the same direction. He casually has his sword propped up over his shoulders, smirking at Hulk.

**Ikkaku:** 'Don't be so gloomy, mean green; we'll be stoppin' soon and then we can really blow off some steam.'

**Hulk: ** 'I'm not gloomy; I just didn't know you guys wanted to get beaten down so soon after yesterday.'

**Ikkaku:** 'Are ya kiddin'? Yesterday was nothin'. I figured you weren't in control, so it doesn't count as a fair fight. Are ya with me Iba-san?'

**Tetsuzaemon:** 'Yeah! That's how I'm gonna look at it!

**Hulk:** 'You guys are nuts.'

**Renji: ** 'Yeah, try living with these guys; talk about annoying.'

Madarame throws out his sheathed sword in the direction of the sixth squad lieutenant who counters with his own sheathed zanbakutou. They finally arrive at their destination which is another large open area, surrounded by mountains all around them. A little ways off, there is a small stream that flows freely and to the east of the water is a small forested area. Boulders of all size and shape litter the expanse as well. Hulk throws his right fist into his left hand, creating an audible thunder clap. The three soul reapers turn to look at the jade giant as the noise breaks the picturesque scene.

**Renji: ** 'Even your casual movements are extreme.'

**Hulk:** 'You try bein' seven feet tall and bein' able to lift over a hundred tons. Then come talk to me about being "casual".'

The smaller men share a laugh as they spread out around the area. The lieutenant of the seventh squad, after walking to a grassy area near the stream, reaches into his kimono and pulls out his kodachi. As the man unsheathes his sword, he simultaneously releases his Shikai and the small weapon morphs into the large falchion. The third seat of the eleventh squad casually walks over to a large boulder and effortlessly skips to the top. Incidentally, the light of the sun glints off of his hairless scalp! Renji takes a position opposite of the other two and comes to a stop before the forested area. Hulk scratches his unruly mane as he watches the three spread out.

**Hulk:** 'If were gonna spare, then why'd you guys spread out so far from each other?'

**Renji:** 'You'll see when we get down to business; try to keep up though ok?'

The jade giant snorts at the red head's comments as Ikkaku draws his zanbakutou and puts the handle of his sword to the end of his sheath.

**Ikkaku:** 'Extend, Hozukimaru!'

Hulk remembers this from their last encounter and just like before, the two separate pieces morph and grow into a large spear-like weapon. When Hozukimaru's transformation is complete, the lieutenant of the sixth squad draws his sword. He calmly puts his hand to the base of the blade and slides his had downward, saying;

**Renji: ** 'Roar, Zabimaru!'

**Hulk: ** 'That's cute.'

**Renji:** 'Heh, don't mock it until you see his power.'

Simultaneously, the three soul reapers rush at each other, ignoring Hulk all together! Before the battle gets too involved, Madarame speaks up over the din of clashing swords.

**Ikkaku:** 'Usually I play for sake; with so many people, whady'a wanna play for now?'

**Tetsuzaemon: ** 'Why not the same thing? We don't need to change the rules of the game just 'cause we got a new comer.'

The third seat nods his head and smiles in agreement.

**Ikkaku:** 'Sounds good; more for me then!'

**Renji:** 'You wish baldy!'

**Ikkaku:** 'Baldy? Yer gonna pay for that, pineapple head!'

**Tetsuzaemon:** 'Ha!'

Hulk just watches, amused by the display that goes on in front of him. After a few minutes of spectating, the mammoth pops his large knuckles and rolls his massive shoulders in preparation to join the fray. The others are going full tilt, but none of them have been seriously injured as of yet. Hulk bends his tree trunk-like legs and literally leaps into the battle. He comes down like a missile and lands devastatingly hard in the middle of the soul reapers, causing a huge concussive fallout that sends the other three flying in different directions! The dust soon clears and he steps out of his own crater, dusting off his hands.

**Hulk:** 'That was easy; where's my sake?'

Ikkaku gets up out of the rubble smiling. He dusts himself off before speaking;

**Ikkaku:** 'Oh there's no way you're gonna win that easy!'

He readies himself as the other two soul reapers recover as well.

**Renji:** 'You know what they say about large people and how hard they fall; let's see what you can do against all three of us!'

All three men yell and rush the giant in front of them. Hulk prepares for the multi-directional attack as best he can and he avoids a strike from Iba's blade by moving slightly to the right. He intentionally lets Ikkaku stick Hozukimaru into his gut to limit the much faster man's movements. As the bald soul reaper follows up his initial offense with a straight kick intended for Hulk's jaw, the green goliath catches his foot and flings him across his body right into the seventh lieutenant! The two men tumble, skipping across the stream like a large stone! With two aggressors temporarily out of the picture, Hulk turns his attention to Renji Abarai who has drawn back his sword as if he were wielding a whip. He brings the large zanbakutou forward before reaching his target! Hulk smiles as he thinks the soul reaper has missed his mark, but all of a sudden the sword breaks into several blades, connected by a flexible steel! The now elongated weapon hurls towards the jade giant who has no way to defend against this new attack. Zabimaru manages to catch Hulk in his side with the tip of its blade, spilling green blood. The momentum of Renji's throw carries the whip-like weapon up and around the Hulk's massive frame; coming in for a second attack across his massive shoulder! The sharp serrated blades rend his flesh fairly easily as Hulk yells out in pain. Renji grits his teeth and pulls back hard and as he does, the weapon retracts from the large wound in Hulk's shoulder, spilling more irradiated blood. Zabimaru follows the same path as it took to carve the Hulk up so it does double damage leaving his side as well. As his sword comes back together, Renji looks proudly at his work but then suddenly frowns as the Hulk stands back up to full height, with his wounds nearly healed! Temporarily frozen with shock, the sixth squad lieutenant receives a huge fist in the face for his efforts; sending him flying back into the forested area where he was just standing! Hulk turns and sees Tetsuzaemon and Ikkaku beginning to recover from their bath and then looks down at his now fully healed wound on his shoulder. He brushes off the dried blood before smirking.

**Hulk:** 'Really guys; I don't remember too much from yesterday but I woulda thought you'd put up a better fight than this.'

As he says this, a tree can be seen toppling in the forest where Hulk sent Renji flying. Ikkaku and Iba regain their composure and once again charge at Hulk.

**Ikkaku:** 'We're gonna finish this fight right here and now, big guy!'

Tetsuzaemon: 'I haven't had a drink in a while and the best way to get it is to cut you down first!'

**Hulk:** 'When did this become a three-on-one match?'

**Ikkaku:** 'You're the biggest; we beat you, then I'll win fer sure.'

Hulk sighs as the two begin to unleash their onslaught. Ikkaku reaches the jade giant seconds before the seventh lieutenant does and he once again attacks using his zanbakutou.

**Ikkaku:** 'Split, Hozukimaru!'

The long spear breaks apart into its familiar three part form and the spear end cuts Hulk's large triceps! Instantly he reverts the chain-linked weapon back to its original design and uses it as a poll vault and leaps up to catch the behemoth in the jaw! Hulk staggers slightly as Iba dodges an off balance punch; he touches Hulk's hip as he passes, saying;

**Tetsuzaemon:** 'Bakudo, number one: sai!'

Surprised by Iba's attack, Hulk's massive arms are violently twisted behind his massive back as he falls to both knees; his chin smacking the hard ground! Before the green goliath can break the kidou, the lieutenant follow up his first spell with another.

**Tetsuzaemon:** 'Bakudo, number four: hainawa!'

A rope of yellow energy flashes out of his hand and entangles his opponent's large arms and torso; strengthening the first binding spell. On the ground, Hulk huffs in annoyance, making dust fly up in front of his face. Iba turns confidently to Ikkaku and says;

**Tetsuzaemon:** 'Ya still think kidou is for chumps Madarame-san? I just beat the big guy with a couple of low level binding spells.'

**Ikkaku:** 'I never said using kidou is fer chumps; I just said you using it made you a chump.'

Ikkaku grins at the sun glass-wearing lieutenant who just frowns in return.

**Hulk:** 'Big deal; you tied me up. When I break out, I'm gonna break your shiny little glasses, Iba, and I'm gonna take that toothpick you call a spear and shove it right up your ass, baldy.'

**Ikkaku:** 'Keep talkin', ugly; I'll be gettin' too drunk to hear ya soon.'

Just then, Renji emerges from the tree line and flash steps to where the other three are. As he re-appears, he holds his hand out in front of him and smirks as he says;

**Renji:** 'Just in time to put the finishing touches on this little bout. Hado, number thirty-one: shakkaho!'

Hulk braces, as best he can, for an attack that never comes. Abarai's intended spell back fires and blows up in his face, burning his hand and face, while blowing his ponytail out of it holder! Smoking. he stands there dumbfounded as the other two soul reapers bust out laughing at the sixth lieutenants inability to conjure proper kidou. Hulk forces down a laugh too as he gets to one knee and effortlessly breaks his bindings.

**Hulk: ** 'I gotta admit; for a second, I was worried what you were gonna do to me, Renji. Thanks for the laugh though; it was entertaining.'

Iba stops laughing long enough to look at Hulk who had just destroyed his kidou without so much as staining.

**Tetsuzaemon:** 'Hey; were ya just toyin' with me back there? You coulda broken your bonds anytime you wanted?'

**Hulk: ** 'Something like that. I didn't want to make you feel too bad, but next time; don't underestimate your opponent. If this was Thanos, he wouldn't think twice about breaking your bonds and then breaking your neck.'

The four become silent as Hulk's words start to sink in. Finally, the green goliath slaps Renji on the back; making a puff of smoke come out of his mouth as he changes subjects.

**Hulk:** 'Alright; I've never had sake, so I think you guys are gonna have to pick up the tab this time.'

**Ikkaku:** 'Hey; none of us lost so why do we have to pay?'

**Hulk:** 'It was three on one; besides, I'm a visitor.'

Madarame and Abarai roll their eyes and then the four of them head back to find some spirits.

Flying for a while, Thor looks down and spots the captain of the tenth squad, Toshiro Hitsugaya, sitting in a clearing. He alters his trajectory and soon touches down a few meters from the boy. He notices that the white-haired captain is unaware of his presence and as he looks around, he sees the ground surrounding Toshiro is covered in a thick layer of ice. His zanpakutou, Hyourinmaru, is sticking out of the ground right in front of the meditating captain. Small wisps of frosted breath occasionally escape his lips as he sits there, completely still. Thor looks quizzically at his small friend but doesn't say anything as he patiently waits for the captain to finish. An hour later, Toshiro lets out a long breath and slowly opens his eyes. He blinks in surprise when he sees the god of thunder standing before him.

**Toshiro:** 'Thor; how long have you been here?'

**Thor:** 'Mine apologies, Captain Hitsugaya, I was in the air whenst I saw yon form. Thy meditation was deep, for thee did not notice me until this very moment.'

The captain of the tenth squad hesitates before speaking.

**Toshiro:** 'I was performing Jinzen, or sword meditation; I was speaking with Hyourinmaru to get his thoughts on what is happening with Thanos.'

**Thor: ** 'By Odin's Beard! Thou canst truly communicate with thy spirit?'

**Toshiro:** 'Every soul reaper that has learned the name of their zanbakutou can. You have a bond similar to ours with your weapon, do you not? Have you ever tried to talk to your hammer?'

**Thor:** 'Tis true I speak to Mjolnir but he hath ne'er given reply.'

He thinks for a moment before continuing.

**Thor:** 'Though it be in the last night I canst hear Mjolnir's rumblings.'

**Toshiro:** 'Soul society has been known to awaken abilities and has had effects on different beings. Kurosaki's friend; the Quincy, Uryu Ishida, is much stronger here than when he's in the world of the living.'

He folds his arms into the sleeves of his kimono and closes his eyes.

**Toshiro:** 'I wouldn't want to tell you what to do Thor, but it would only benefit you if you could know who Mjolnir is.'

Thor looks down at the small soul reaper and nods to himself.

**Thor:** 'Verily. Wouldst thou teach me to perform this Jinzen?'

**Toshiro:** 'I don't know how much you can learn in the little time I have but I will teach you the basics. First, kneel down or sit how your comfortable.'

Thor kneels down, tucking both feet under him.

**Toshiro:** 'Good; now, lay your hammer down in front of you and focus on it completely. Take deep and steady breaths and then try to feel yourself leave this plane as you enter your inner world.'

The god of thunder closes his eyes and begins to focus on the energy that Mjolnir emits.

**Toshiro:** 'I'm going to start counting; when you can no longer hear my voice, then you know you've entered your inner world. Are you ready?'

**Thor:** 'Aye.'

**Toshiro:** 'One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten... eleven... twelve... thirteen...'

The next time Thor opens his eyes, he sees the end of a brilliant rainbow that opens up to what looks like a sprawling city, interspersed with Nordic architecture and flowing fields! he looks down and he is once again in his familiar Asgardian armor; Mjolnir nowhere in sight. As the weapon is almost an extension of himself, he begins to wonder where it is as a bit of panic starts to creep into his thoughts. Suddenly he looks up and atop one of the many sky scrapers that make up half of this new world, is a very tall and muscular man. The man is clean shaven and has long black hair that is braided with a leather strap. He jump off of the extremely tall structure and touches down before Thor with a resounding thud that echoes around the area. He casually flicks a few stray strands of hair away from his tanned, rugged features as he looks right at the god of thunder. Getting a better look at the man before him, Thor sees that he is wearing a black leather jacket with its right sleeve cut away up to the shoulder, revealing a very large muscular arm. On his wrists, he wears Thor's familiar red and black bands. His blue jeans are ripped in a few places around his knees and he has on Nordic boots, wrapped in different types of fur. The most striking thing of all about this man before the curious Thor is the weapon he has casually propped over his shoulder. It bares a remarkable resemblance to Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, with one glaring difference; the handle is about a foot and a half longer than the weapon he carries with him. As Thor stares at this man before him, the mystery man stares right back with a smile on his face.

**?:** 'Greetings god of thunder! I never thought I'd actually get to meet you face to face. Do you know who I am?'

Thor looks long and hard at the person in front of him; with his eclectic attire and his strange, mixed speech pattern.

**Thor:** 'I hath ne'er seen thou before but knowest who thee be. Mjolnir, my mighty hammer, with flesh and blood and a beating heart!'

The being laughs heartily and thunder rumbles overhead. He takes the hammer off of his shoulder and spins it around his back before holding it out to Thor.

Mjolnir: 'Have you ever wondered what I was supposed to feel like in you grip? Go on; see for yourself.'

Thor hesitates briefly as this is all very, very new to him. He reaches out and grasps the hammer and instantly feels at home. Despite the size difference, the weight and feel of the hammer hasn't changed at all and he can still feel the power coursing through it. He looks up at the embodiment of his hammer with an amazed smile on his face.

**Thor:** 'This be truly a gift from Odin! Thou art real and I canst speak to thee.'

**Mjolnir:** 'I've always been here; we just never had the means to speak before now.'

Before Thor can say anything else, Mjolnir begins to fade, but before he disappears completely, he says one last thing;

**Mjolnir: **'You must go now; there is trouble brewing on the horizon and I fear the positive outcome that we hope for could be in jeopardy.'

Thor goes to stop him from leaving but is too late. He ponders his hammer's words before taking one last look around at his inner world and then closes his eyes. When he opens them again, he is back in soul society and in the borrowed kimono. He looks down and sees his normal hammer, but in some ways it is different; he can feel much more power emanating from it and he smiles, knowing that his weapon truly has a form. Thor then looks around for his friend to thank him for the lesson, but Toshiro is nowhere to be found. He gets up and dusts off his knees before launching himself back into the air to find his other companions.

The sun is beginning to leave long shadows around the area where Yoruichi, Soi Fon and Wolverine are still training. Sweat and dirt adorn the hairy mutant's body as he has yet to catch one of the female's ribbons. With every miss, he gets closer and closer and he has felt himself almost disappear at times to reach another location entirely. Yoruichi had praised this movement while the squad two captain mocked him. She has been less harsh as the day has gone by since she has actually had to work to stay ahead of the tenacious mutant. Logan stands with his hands upon his hips; sweat dripping from his face and chest, breathing heavily. He looks over to the two women who are standing near each other. Yoruichi has her hands clasped behind her head with a grin on her face and Soi Fon has her arms folded in front of her with an impatient look on hers. He grins at the two women; not wanting to admit defeat and without warning, sprints after the small captain once more! Shocked at his stubbornness, Soi Fon barely dodges his outstretched hand before he grazes her elbow!

**Wolverine: ** 'Gettin' closer darlin'.'

**Soi Fon:** 'Still not fast enough, it would seem.'

Observing from her position, Yoruichi chimes in;

**Yoruichi:** 'You're starting to match some of the faster lieutenants, Logan. Keep this up and you'll catch one of us yet.'

So the literal cat and mouse game begins anew as Wolverine once again chases the two women. He truly is getting better as he can now travel the distance of ten steps before touching down again. The thrill he feels as the wind rushes by him is unbelievable! Everything seems to slow down for him to see, in great detail, what is going on around him. Surprisingly, colors have become sharper and brighter, sounds have become crisper and the way he smells has also changed due to his new found speed. He begins to see the second captain's movements more clearly, as before all he could see were her blurred movements. He races around the area, disappearing and reappearing with relative ease as his body becomes more and more accustomed to his training. Soi Fon can be seen smiling despite her outward aggression towards her training partner as more and more time is spent with the scrapper. Her bickering has become more joking and less hostile and despite the long hours, Logan is really enjoying himself. Yoruichi is just toying with him as there's no way he's even coming close touching her ribbon. Her movements are as beautiful as she is as she dances about the area, avoiding Logan's attempts to bring this game to an end. With another twenty minutes gone by, Soi Fon speaks up;

**Soi Fon:** 'Logan; you're never going to get either one of our ribbons. It looks like the fastest your able to go is top tier lieutenant at best.'

**Wolverine: ** 'I wouldn't sell me short just yet; I won't quit till I caught yer fine ass.'

**Soi Fon:** 'Dog! Just when I think you are an acceptable excuse for a human, you say something like that!'

**Wolverine:** 'Don't be that way darlin'; I just like seein' ya blush.'

A bit flustered, Soi Fon rushes the crude man and takes an offensive role in their training. Seeing her attack coming, he smiles and braces for the impact. She comes in strong with an opened palm strike that is aimed for his jaw but he quickly dodges the move and goes in for her ribbon! Seeing his deception, she quickly changes tactics and grabs his wrist before he can untie the white fabric. The beautiful assassin uses a form of judo and flips him over hard onto his back, putting a foot to his throat.

**Wolverine:** 'I almost had it that time.'

**Soi Fon:** 'This is as close to touching me as you'll ever come, mongrel.'

**Wolverine: ** 'Here I thought we were makin' headway in our relationship.'

**Soi Fon:** 'I will have your head before the day ends if you continue down this disrespectful path.'

Yoruichi flash steps over to the two and sighs.

**Yoruichi:** 'Soi; it seems to be in his nature to point out beauty where he sees it. He may be a brute, but he's trying to compliment you. I think.'

With her foot still resting on the mutant's throat, the small captain looks into her mentor's eyes. After a minute of silence, she sighs as well and lets her prey up. Logan gets to his feet and pops his neck while grinning at the two ladies.

**Wolverine:** 'One more go 'round?'

**Yoruichi:** 'If you wish.'

**Soi Fon:** '...Fine.'

Each combatant flash steps away and the are now evenly spread out from one another in a loose triangle pattern. Logan feigns to Yoruichi and then flashes towards Soi Fon. Knowing this tired pattern, she quickly dodges until, he disappears and reappears behind her! Surprised by the new quickness he exhibits, she back flips out of his reach and when she comes to a stop, she speaks.

**Soi Fon:** 'That was fast; do it again.'

**Wolverine:** 'Alright.'

They once again split apart from each other and Wolverine tries to remember what he did differently this time compared to all the other times. It was just instance; he read her movements and then countered. Simple. He sighs; this may be harder than last time because she's ready for him. He smiles at the lithe beauty in front of him and rushes in for another round. Same thing; she dodges, then he counters her dodge. Then, something else; he's able to maintain his speed! Seeing this, Soi again dodges and then the real dance begins. Yoruichi looks on proudly as she sees them dance a ballet of speed. Grace and power; dynamic, yet simple. The two clash several times as Logan keeps up with the women's movements wherever she goes. What was once just one or two steps has now morphed into something fluid and ongoing. He reaches in for her wrist and she blocks it; she reaches for his and he blocks her. Several times this happens before finally, in a last ditch attempt, Logan intentionally leaves his ribbon unguarded and Soi Fon takes the bait. As she reaches in, he instantly moves around her and snatches the white cloth around her wrist! As the sun kisses the horizon, Wolverine smiles as he flash steps one more time to Yoruichi's side who claps in celebration of his victory. Soi Fon touches down soon afterwards and nods her head in his direction, making her twin braids bounce.

Soi Fon: 'You did well; for a human.'

Wolverine: 'I'll take that as a compliment darlin'.'

He hands the ribbon back to her but she shakes her in refusal.

**Soi Fon:** 'Keep it. Consider it your prize for the time being.'

**Wolverine:** 'Thanks. Ya sure kicked my ass up to that point though.'

**Soi Fon:** 'Do not let this victory go to your head Logan; you still have yet to beat me in a fight.'

**Wolverine:** 'I know how strong ya are Soi Fon; I wouldn't want ta be on the recievin' end of yer Suzemebachi again.'

She closes her eyes and smiles at his words and then goes to stand by Yoruichi's side. The two women begin to depart and before the get too far off, the former soul reaper winks at the hairy man and motions her dead in the direction of her slightly smaller friend.

**Wolverine: ** 'If ya ladies get bored later, I'll probably be up practicin' my new speed; if ya wanna come find me.'

**Soi Fon:** 'I have been away from that imbecile of a lieutenant all day; I am sure I will have to clean up some sort of mess that he has made.'

**Yoruichi:** 'I'll be at her barracks if you want to stop by.'

In a hushed whisper, but easily heard by Logan, the second captain protests to Yoruichi's open invitation.

**Soi Fon:** 'Yoruichi-sama! You can not just invite him into my barracks like that!'

The two long time companions then vanish as wolverine watches them leave. Smiling, he tucks his thumbs into his sweat drenched obi and then vanishes as well.

**Editor's Notes: **

**Well, what do you all think? It's been a while, but as you can see, this chapter is much longer and, I think, more in depth. I hope you like the part with Thor and his inner world; it's a working idea and I hope it's believable. I wanted to show That Logan had to work hard to achieve the speed of a captain and again, I hope that came across. Well That's all for now and again, Happy Reading!**


	25. Eternal Night

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Eternal Night**

_**The past; two weeks ago. **_

Thanos steps out of a portal that was designed by his one and only obsession; Death. He looks around at this new world he now finds himself in. Compared to the image he watched while in his Mistress's dimension, this place is different. As far as the titan can see, there is infinite sand with small dried up trees peppering the area.

**Thanos:** 'I believe my Mistress has led me astray. No matter; I will see what this place has to offer and then find my original target.'

He walks to the closest of the small trees, disturbing the smooth sand as he moves. Thanos reaches out and breaks off a piece of the tree. It snaps off easily under his monumental strength, and instead of the familiar sound of wood breaking, he hears the sound of shattering glass. Curious; the titan brings the sample up to his face to get a better look and turns it over in his gloved hand. In the moonlight; it shimmers as if it were made of quartz and after a few seconds of examination, he closes his large fist and turns the unfamiliar substance into dust. He grimaces as he continues to walk around the desolate area; crunching sand as he goes. The purple-hued destroyer hears echoing roars in the distance, signifying life. His grimmace turns into a smirk as his eyes flash with power. Thanos starts to head off in the direction of the sounds when suddenly the ground rumbles beneath his booted feet. Four large creatures emerge from the white sand and look down upon the armor-wearing alien. They all have unique bodies and masks adorning their faces. One looks like a giant centipede, while another resembles a rhino beetle, complete with horns. The third creature has a crab-like appearance and four huge claws. Finally, the fourth huge monster is serpentine in nature with large frills adorning its neck behind its mask. The four creatures salivate with anticipation and Thanos realizes they intend to make him their next meal! The centipede-like creature reacts first and lunges for its smaller prey and before Thanos can defend himself, the crab severes the attacking creature's head with one of its large pinchers! The thing's body evaporates before its head hits the sand and then, it too, dissolves! The crab roars a sound of victory before spitting a yellowish-green fluid at Thanos from its mandibles! Not knowing what the substance is, he avoids the liquid by jumping back a few yards. The attack misses its mark and where the fluid hits the sand, the ground starts to smoke and erode! The beetle dissapears beneath the sand and comes up behind the invader. It uses its sharp horn to try and impale Thanos who draws back his fist and punches the horn with a cosmically charged right hook! The horn shatters and the creature lets out a cry of pain befor recieving two blasts of radiation from the titan's gauntlets. It falls to its side before disintegrating into nothing. Thanos turns to face his two remaining aggressors as the crab-like creature attacks next. It takes one of its large claws and lunges at the titan! Thanos again dodges the attack and lets the apendage stick into the ground where he was just standing. He jumps up and fires off a concussive blast of energy right at the immobile limb's joint that connects the claw to the rest of the arm. Surprisingly easy, the claw separates from the arm and the crab staggers back in shock and pain. Before Thanos can press his advantage however, the now three armed creature recovers quickly and retaliates by grabbing Thanos around the waist by another claw; pinning his arms to his sides! It brings him up to his eyeless mask and opens its mouth to devour the newcomer! The Titan just frowns in annoyance by this set back as his eyes start to glow a bright crimson. Somehow sensing this change, the crab hesitates, and before it can finish off its meal; Thanos lets loose with a shot from his eyes! The two red-hot beams hit their mark directly in the forehead of the creature's mask; labotomizing the crab! Seeing all of the destruction take place within a matter of minutes, the snake-like creature turns tail and quickly buries itself beneath the sand in retreat. Thanos frowns while still being held in the carb's grip and within moments it too falls to the ground, kicking up a huge dust cloud in it descension! The creature dissintegrates, leaving Thanos free to move once more.

**Thanos:** 'Interesting life this world has; I will have to study these creatures more to find out how I can use them to my advantage.'

He continues on his journey to locate the loud roars he had heard before. After some time spent traveling, he spots a sand dune that looks different from the many others that he has passed so far. The titan alters his course and heads towards the new dune. Getting closer to it, he notices that it is actually more of an entrance to a dark cave. He steps inside and makes his way down the rocky surfaces until he stands on much more solid ground than what he had been accustomed to for the first part of his expedition. He looks around, surveying this new area and finds very large and thick trees reaching all the way up to the top of the cave. He walks over to the closest tree and looks at it. The structure has the same makeup as the small tree that he had discovered earlier.

**Thanos:** 'Do these trees go all the way to the surface? How amusing.'

He walks for a bit longer, taking in all that he can as he moves. In the distance he sees many large black forms moving about, watching him as he watches them. They don't attack, and Thanos deems them curious onlookers as he journeys on. After walking for a few minutes more, a light in the distance catches his eye. Even though he's new to this world, all he has witnessed up to this point is mostly darkness; save for the light coming from the moon that is above this lower level. Seeing this intense light emanating this far below ground piques his interest slightly. He walks into the light and it takes only seconds for his highly accute sight to adjust to the change in the spectrum. The light is so intense that even the boulders lying about cast no shadow! He puts his hand to his wrinkled chin and contemplates the many possibilities for this physical anomaly. Suddenly from out of the bright nothingness he hears a voice whispering to him.

**?: **'Why do you come here? Are you allied with Aizen?'

He looks around for the mysterious voice but finds no one. He sends out a telepathic probe to locate the unseen speaker but gets nothing but darkness; a quiet calm, as if he were just hearing things!

**Thanos:** 'You must be quite powerful to conceal yourself so thoroughly. I do not know of this Aizen you speak of, and as to why I am here; my ambition is to destroy a place called "soul society".

There is silence for a few minutes before the whisper comes back with a reply.

**?:** 'You speak the truth. You don't appear to be a hollow; you don't have a mask or even a hole. You're not from hueco mundo are you?'

**Thanos:** 'More questions? No; I am not from this place you call "hueco mundo". I come from a parallel dimension.'

The light starts to dim and the boulders around the area begin to cast shadow once more. Suddenly a female wearing white garmets trimmed with black appears out of nowhere and sits atop one of the large boulders. She has neck-length blonde hair and gold eyes, surrounded by pitch-black sclera. White bony spines adorne the right side of her face; from her temple down to her chin. Tucked into the black sash adorning her pants is a white-sheathed sword. Its hilt is wrapped in a gold colored cloth. She sits, looking down wearily at Thanos.

**?:** 'What is your name, stranger?'

**Thanos:** 'My name is Thanos. Do you think it wise to show yourself to me already? I could kill you and not think twice about it.'

**?: **'You could; if you can function in complete darkness.'

Instantly, Thanos's world goes black! He can't see to even direct a blast of energy if he wanted to. He laughs out loud as he temporarily concedes defeat to this unknown woman.

**Thanos:** 'I yield woman. You have amused me greatly this day and I have decided to spare your life.'

Through the darkness he hears her whispered reply.

**?: **'You've decided to "spare my life"? That's reassuring; but what's to say I won't hesitate to kill you for your blatant disrespect of me, who you have just met?

**Thanos:** 'You have let me live this long, and judging by your great power, you could have ended me effortlesly no sooner than I stepped foot into your domain.'

She ponders his words as he continues to stand in complete darkness.

**?:** 'As long as we understand each other; I won't destroy you if you don't attempt to attack me. You said earlier that you wanted to destroy soul society? Why? What do you achieve by doing so?'

**Thanos:** 'I have an arrangement with someone back where I come from and I have made a commitment to Her to destroy that place. There is no other reason than I must.'

A few more minutes of silence in the dark and then finally;

**?: **'We seem to have a mutual enemy; would you care to hear our story?'

At her last words, Thanos thinks; _our story? _Before he can ask the question out loud, the veil of darkness slowly lifts, revealing the illuminated cave once more. Still sitting on her boulder is the unknown female. Suddenly, the snake-like creature that Thanos had encounter before, slithers into the room and comes to rest its larged masked head on top of the smaller woman's outstretched hand; almost as if it were her pet!

**?:** 'I see you've met Serppiente. He says you've destroyed three of his hunting companions.'

**Thanos:** 'That creature is your pet? He and three others attacked me soon after a arrived here. One of the four destroyed its companion and then this one fled after I took care of the two others.'

**?:** 'You must be strong for him to forego a meal to save his own life.'

Without warning another being appears out of nowhere to stand just behind the woman! He is tall and dressed in the same white clothes with black trim. His shirt is open all the way down to his navel, revealing a strong chest and abdomen. In the center of his chest is a black hole about four inches in diameter. The man has long straight black hair that hangs past his shoulders and covers the outside of his eyes. He is covered from his neck down to his left shoulder in bony plates. His expression is forlorn and surprisingly, Thanos has to look away because of the expression on the man's face!

**Thanos: **'... Another arrives; I have been patient with you up to this point. I have answered your questions and I think it is time that you answered some of mine. Who are you and what does this place represent? Where did you come from and why do you live underground?'

The female whispers her reply;

**?:** 'Our story is rather involved; do you still care to listen?'

**Thanos:** 'If it means that you will show me where soul society is, then yes.'

The woman relaxes slightly as she gently strokes the snake's head.

**?:** 'Very well. We are hollow; souls that become corrupted due to overstaying our welcome in the world of the living after we die. My name is Llibelula. My partner's name is Rrurikio. My story is unique because out of every hollow we've met, I'm the only one who can remember before they became hollow.'

Thanos takes in what the woman has said so far and beckons for her to continue.

**Llibelula:** 'My tale is not for the light hearted; it is one of death and betrayal. I was born to a middle class family in the late 1800's, in a nothern state of North America called Pennsylvania. For as far back as I can remember I was terrified of the dark. My parents were the best anyone could ask for; they never looked down on me for my weakness, and even gave me a lantern to light my room at night. This helped, but never cured me; for even the shadows cast by the flame would bother me. For years I would scream and shake due to the darkness, but for the most part we were able to keep my malady a secret form the rest of the town. When I was a little older, they told me never to tell anyone else about my secret and I obeyed. When I was 16, a handsom gentleman came to call on me for courting. He was of higher society and very well mannered and dressed. My parents were in high favor of this match despite my misgivings about my terror. He courted me for six months and I never told him about my secret. He never found it strange that everytime we went out, he had to have me home before dusk. Finally, one afternoon he proposed and I would have been a fool to say no, so I gladly accepted. Soon after, we were married and it only took one night for my ugly truth to rear its head. He took it in stride though; saying that he would protect me from all of the darkness. For three months he did just that; even though every night I would scream and shake until I fell asleep exhausted. One day, in one of my fits he came over to me in the darkness and put a pillow over my face; muffling my screams. Seconds later, I felt a sharp pain in my chest and then he whispered to me in my ear; "You'll never scream again, my dear." The next thing I remember is hovering over my body while the local doctor pronounced me dead. My husband was in tears, saying; "I was only gone for an hour, collecting wood for the fireplace. How could this have happened?" He was a very good actor as the doctor put a consoling hand upon his shoulder and the local sherriff shook his hand before leaving. I screamed at them to stay and arrest him for murdering me, but none of them heard me. I looked down at my stomach and found a long, thick chain attached to me just below my belly button. When I was young, my parents always took me to church and I was told of heaven and hell and that when we die, we end up at one of those destinations. I went nowhere, however, and days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Every chance I got I screamed at my murderer and knocked things over, trying to get his attention. He ignored me and just went about his daily life while my personality eroded under stress. The chain that was attached to the floor of the house started to break away, but I couldn't leave my eternal prison. Soon the man would arrive home at a later and later hour from his day, and within weeks there was a new female presence around the estate. As I watched from the windows, I saw that she was as beautiful as me, if not more so; long chocolate locks, and green eyes. Shocked by these events, I renewed my fervent screams; this time as warnings for the new female in his world. "He's going to kill you! Leave now while you can!". She ignored my futile attempts to get her to listen and within a month of this, my chain had almost completely worn away. There was only a few links left until it reached its end at my abdomen. One day my killer came home carrying the brown-haired girl over the threshold; much like he did when we had married. Enraged, I went beserk and the final few links violently ruptured, revealing a black hole where the chain had just been. Suddenly I felt my ghostly human form change and morph into something out of my nightmares. I was a large scaly creature with wings and sharp talons and razors for teeth. Blinded by rage, I tore the house assunder; killing both humans in my wake. I devoured them, destroying their newfound happiness. In that moment, I felt joy once again; however, the joy would soon be replaced by a hunger to feed on more human souls. I stayed around the area for a few more weeks and the local townsfolk talked about the sudden demolishing of the house and the dissapearance of the newlyweds. I laughed at their ignorance before finally leaving the town all together. Months went by and I hunted and devoured more and more human souls. I soon discovered that I had an ability to control darkness. It's irony is it not? The one thing that terrified me while I was alive, became my strength in the afterlife. I soon met others of my kind, in search of the same nourishment that fueled me. I destroyed anything that would come between me and my meal. I noticed over the years, that my power grew with every human I consumed. I vowed that I'd never be weak again and so I continued my existence in the human world. Every so often, I would come across other humans that could see me as well. Some wore black clothing and carried swords while others wore mostly white clothing and fought with bows; both parties tried to end me, but none of them were as powerful as me and I easily dispatched them. One day, after a hundred years or so had passed I caught the scent of an exceptionally tasty soul and started to persue it. As I flew over head, another creature was chasing it on the ground. He was large and very strong and he matched my speed rather well. We ended up cornering the overmatched soul, so I decided to attack the competition first, but before I could strike, he bowed his head and beckoned for me to have the feast. I've never known kindness in this form so I was weary of this gesture. I caught the soul and devoured it while looking at my rival. He just returned my glare with sad complacency. As I fed, I felt calm for the first time as well. My anger and pain subsided slowly, and when I finished, he asked me my name. I couldn't remember; I thought long and hard, but nothing came to mind. He mistook my silence as mistrust, so he told me his name; Rrurikio. I told him I didn't have a name so he deceided to give me one; Llibelula. He told me it was Spanish for dragonfly. From that day on, we became inseperable; he told me what I was and how there was a place called soul society that is supposed to send wayward souls to to a better place so they can await their next turn at life. He said that I became a hollow due to the length of time I spent in the world of the living. I loath the very exsistence of soul society for the sole reason that they never came for me. I had to witness my murderer live his life while I was dead.'

Listening to the woman talk, the titan can hardly concentrate; every fiber of Thanos's being wants to erradicate the three beings infront of him! He knows he can't however, for they have knowledge of the place he seeks, and he has witnessed the female's extensive power. He wants to use that power for his own agenda so he remains patient for the time being. His eyes tell her to continue and so she does.

**Llibelula: **'Soul society would've been a natural fit for me, but I would've never met Rrurikio. He showed me how to come home so I wouldn't have to stay in the world of the living and be constantly hunted by soul reapers. Many years had gone by and we both continued to grow stronger by eating human souls; whenever another hollow came by looking to take our meal, Rrurikio would devour them as well. I've never consumed a hollow; Rrurikio says it has made him quite powerful over the years, but he also says he's never seen a hollow as strong as me before. We traveled this path until we had a few followers of our own. Hollow like to surround themselves with power and they survived by being around us. Thanos; did you know hueco mundo has a king?'

Thanos tilts his head at this question.

**Thanos: **'I did not know this place existed before today. I assume you mean this Aizen?'

Llibelula glares at her guest before continuing.

**Llibelula:** 'Don't be ridiculous; Aizen is no more a king than I am a queen! No, I'm talking about the God-King of hueco mundo, Baraggan Luisenbarn. He is an extremely powerful hollow who, up until a few years ago, reigned over everything in this world. We were apart of his army until Aizen appeared with two other soul reapers and subjugated most of all the hollow in our land. He promised power and domonion over all; if we helped him remake soul society. I didn't want anything to do with that place, and Rrurikio followed me away from his ever increasing hold on our home. Word got around that Aizen was using his power to increase other hollow's abilities. He was making arrancar artificially'

As she pauses her partner steps in and takes over the story. His voice is deep, yet filled with sorrow.

**Rrurikio: **'A hollow can achieve arrancar status naturally by removing its mask. It's very difficult, but once done, increases the hollow's power incredibly. We weren't looking for power, however, just a means to live out our existence. One day a few newly transformed arrancar came searching for us for their master, Aizen. They mocked us and told us that we were cowards for running away from their lord. They wanted to destroy us to gain favor with him. They were very strong, but we were slightly better. We decided if we were to live freely, then we would have to gain even more power. Reluctanly, we removed our masks and transformed into the forms you see before you. Another change in this form is that we obtained soul reaper-like abilities in the forms of our swords.'

He pulls his out from behind his back and holds it out for their new ally to see. Its scabbard is white like Llibelula's but the wrap around the hilt is an ashy grey. He puts it back before continuing.

**Rrurikio:** 'We have tremendous power in this form, but our true power is sealed away in our swords. After killing our two persuers, we took their clothing and have been living here ever since. The hollow that you passed on the way in here are all loyal to us. They, like us, don't want anything to do with Aizen's plan of restructure; they just want to exist. Some of our hollow are moles in Aizen's top espada's fraccions so we have a regular report on what is happening in los noches.'

Thanos holds up a gloved hand to make the arrancar pause.

**Thanos:** '"Top espada"? There are others more powerful then the two of you? From what I gather, you, Rrurikio control light; am I right?'

**Rrurikio: **'You are quite observant; did you notice that when the light in this place had no external source? Unlike Llibelula, I did not develop my power naturally. Somewhere along the line, I devoured a hollow with the ability to control and manipulate light; all light. It has benefited us so far.'

**Thanos: **'Yes. You two seem to be complete opposites but you are indeed a perfect match. I do not pretend to know what it is you speak of when you refer to such things as "los noches", or "fraccion". I believe, however, that if you truly wish to destroy soul society, that a partnership would benefit everyone involved.'

The two arrancar look at each other and never say a word. After a few seconds of deliberation, they turn back to Thanos and give him their answer.

**Llibelula:** 'We believe we can help each other, and if Aizen gets in our way, then we'll destroy him as well.'

Thanos smiles at the female's passion. He has every intention to manipulate these temperary allies to the full extent of their usefulness. The next day; or is it night? Thanos can't tell because this place seems to be set in eternal darkness. He is greeted by a silent Llibelula, followed closely by her mate, Rrurikio, and their "pet" Serppiente. He shakes his head at how the creature that tried to eat him is nothing more than their dog.

**Thanos:** 'What is it that you are going to do?'

**Rrurikio: **'We're going to the world of the living to hunt; there was a bus accident and many children were killed. If we're lucky, the soul reapers haven't begun collecting them yet.'

The titan smiles at the prospect of witnessing them hunt and the female arrancar asks;

**Llibelula:** 'This is usually a private matter, but since you're new to our way of life, would you like to watch?'

**Thanos:** 'This will be very entertaining.'

**Rrurikio: **'Follow us.'

The four beings head out of the cave and up to the world above which is covered in white sand. The male arrancar simply points to a spot in in the air and a black hole opens up before him! As Thanos peers through the rip in space, he sees nothing but a great swirling blackness. Rrurikio turns back and says;

**Rrurikio:** 'I'll go first; because of your make-up, I'm assuming you have no spiritual pressure. This world that we are going into is volitile, to say the least. If you were to stray from the path, you'd be lost for all eternity. Stay behind Llibelula and infront of Serppiente if you wish to survive.'

He turns back to the front and walks into the void, lighting the pitch as he goes along. Thanos follows what the arrancar told him but thinks to himself, _I need to learn this technique for myself. _They walk for what seems like a few hours and finally the two ahead of Thanos stop. Again the male arrancar reaches out into the black nothingness with his hand and another hole is ripped in space; this time to the brightness of early morning Japan! They step out into the crowded city street as chaos is all around them. Police and emergency vehicles litter the area, blocking off the entrance to the street that the bus is on. Screams and gasps of panic and fear are heard over the din of sirens and whistles. Thanos touches a hidden button on his gauntlet, designed for cloaking, as he steps out of the hole in space; and nothing happens! He frowns and taps it repeatedly but still nothing happens. He thinks to himself; _faulty machinery! When we get back, I will have to see how it was damaged during my transfer to this place. _As he looks around he sees 32 children and four adult spirits lingering around the area. They have scared and panicked expressions adorning their faces. Like how Llibelula described her chain, they too, have small chains attached to their chests. Rrurikio turns back to the lost in thought titan and says;

**Rrurikio:** 'What are you doing with your glove? If you have anything mechanical that you brought with you from your world, I'd imagine that it doesn't work here. You are in a spirit form; even if you don't realize it. You wouldn't be able to step foot into hueco mundo if you were not. The pressure of the place would have torn you assunder.'

Thanos frowns, thinking; _my Queen, what have you done to me? Was your curse of eternal life not enough? Upon sending me through the portal, did you have to convert my form to spiritual energy as well? No matter; it is for the best it would seem. _He stops and again bares witness to the carnage laid out before him. The snake hollow lets out an eerie roar and the female arrancar smirks at her companion who nods in return before vanishing with an audible noise that the titan assumes is made from the displacement of air as they move. In the next instant, he sees them atop the bus as the souls take notice of them for the first time. Serppiente doesn't move as fast, but he gets to his destination none the less. His large body weaves around a few cars before he extends himself to nearly his full height. Thanos observes that the snake doesn't exhibit as much self control as the two arrancar, as he rushes in and devours three of the young, fresh souls without any hesitation! The other two hang their heads and then attack the now scattering souls as the unaware humans try to clean up the mess and direct traffic below. Thanos folds his arms as he grins at the chaos that ensues. Llibelula and Rrurikio move fluidly with each other as they quickly corral the remaining souls. As Thanos watches their hunt, he likens their movements to how the predators of Earth move and manipulate their prey. He finds their actions beautiful as the two arrancar both quickly devour one soul after another. With over half of the dead removed from this plane of existence, something in mid-air catches the titan's eye. Out of nowhere, square, wooden doors materialize! Within seconds, the doors open down the middle, revealing a second, circular set of doors. Thanos tilts his head in fascination as he watches this spectacle. The three hollow who are still eating take notice of this as well and their snake-like companion roars a disgruntled protest. The more rational pair of arrancar share a glance before temporarily haulting their feast; the remaining souls try to find refuge in near-by places. Thanos sneers as he finds it amusing that even in death, souls are afraid. The arrancar calmly stand in mid-air; the female has her hands clasped behind her back as her partner folds his arms across his chest. The circular doors open in the same manner as their squared counterparts did, and four black butterflies float out of the doorway, followed by four black-clad individuals. Even though they are dressed the same way, Thanos observes that they try and maintain their own sense of individualism. Out of the three males, one is taller than his companions and he wears his long, brown hair tied back in a ponytail that hangs down his back. The middle, dark-skinned male has a small, trimmed beard with his hair cut short in a flat-top style. The shortest male has shaggy black hair and one of his ears is peirced with a silver stud. The last mystery figure is a female that has short blonde hair with green eyes; dangling from each wrist are three bracelets. They look around calmly and Thanos assumes the four are searching for the newly departed souls. Instead of the souls, however, they spot Serppiente and immediately draw their swords!

**tall soul reaper:** 'A hollow! It must've detected the large amount of souls gathered.'

**female soul reaper: **'That's not all! Look over there!'

She points to Thanos's new acquaintances who are still calmly standing above the convoluted streets below.

**shaggy-haired soul reaper:** 'W-what are those? Are they hollow too?'

**bearded soul reaper: **'Think back; you studied them in your "History of Soul Society" lessons. They are called arrancar; but it's been said that no one has seen one for over a hundred years. Supossedly, there's only so many in existence; they must be here for the souls as well!'

**tall soul reaper:** 'Split up and attack! I need to contact soul society so they can send us back up!'

He takes out a device, that Thanos notes resembles an earthly cell phone, and quickly hits some keys. Before the man can put it to his ear, however, the titan sees a flash and then the unknown male's hand is seen flying through the air! Blood flows freely from the major wound and the man's eyes go wide with shock! The female arrancar speaks to the four people in a bearly audible whisper.

**Llibelula:** 'None of that now; we don't want anymore unwanted attention during breakfast.'

Their pet snake swallows the shocked soul reaper whole before the other three can react to what just happened! Thanos frowns, already coming up with ways to use these beings who had mentioned the place he is looking for.

**Thanos:** 'Do not kill the rest! We can use them to our advantage in our plans to destroy soul society.'

The two arrancar frown as they hesitantly acknowledge their guest's request. Instead of destroying the very much outclassed threesome, Llibelula and Rrurikio knock them unconscious and then demolish a near-by building, inciting more panic in the streets below! They use the thick, heavy girders from the rubble to bind their captives. With that finished; the three search, and quickly find, the remaining souls who have hid up until now. The hollow devour their meals and then touch down near Thanos.

**Rrurikio: **'You realize that you cost the three of us a delicious meal don't you?'

Thanos grins at the male arrancar's question before responding.

**Thanos:** 'It will be the last meal that I will deny you. Once I get what I want out of these three, there will be plenty of time to eat anything you wish.'

Placated for the time being, the arrancar lifts his prisoner effortlessly and again opens up a doorway in the fabric of space. He steps through, followed by Llibelula who is carrying another one of Thanos's prizes. Thanos follows her with the last prisoner in-tow, followed by Serppiente. As the four walk through the black nothingness, Thanos strikes up a conversation with the lead arrancar.

**Thanos: **'Tell me Rrurikio; how many hollow do you and Llibelula control?'

**Rrurikio:** 'We don't control any of them, but if you're wondering how many gather to us for protection, then I'd say one thousand.'

Thanos's red eyes flash in the darkness as he hears the number.

**Thanos:** 'Out of those, how many are moles, planted in Aizen's various fraccions?'

**Llibelula: **'We have twenty hollow stationed in various places throughout los noches. Aizen sees all within the confines of his fortress, but outside of it, his view is limited. We comunicate with our allies every few days; infact, they should be coming back later today or tomorrow.'

**Thanos:** 'Excellent. I would like to request the use of their services before they head back.'

**Llibelula:** 'If you must; we'll introduce you, but I can't promise that they won't try and eat you.'

She smirks slightly at the much larger titan who returns her grin with a sadistic one of his own. The four once again set foot inside the pale dessert of hueco mundo. The walk back to the arrancar's underground home is uneventful; when Thanos steps down into the now illuminated space, he is greeted by three more hollow that seem to have been waiting for his hosts to show up. These three are more humanoid then the beasts that he encountered earlier. The first one is about ten feet tall with a large beak-like mask covering his face and sharp feather-like armor adorning his thick neck and shoulders. The second of the three is about seven feet in height and wears a Triceratops skull, complete with two massive horns jutting out above his black eye holes, and one forming at the tip of its nose. Finally the third is the smallest and it appears to be female with curvy features and an antelope skull for a mask. The two horns which start at her temples, intertwine to form a single foot and half long spear. She has a tiger stripe pattern on her skin and a long thin tail. They first aknowledge their comrades before stiffening at the sight of Thanos. He drops his captured prize before eyeing them daringly. Rrurikio, seemingly the least bloodthirsty out of the group, quickly calms the situation by holding up his hand; much to his mate's dissappointment; as her face contorts into a slight pout. Thanos grins at her openly confrontational personality and then turns his attention back to the newcomers who have just noticed the three soul reapers that are bound and unconscious. From their body language, because Thanos can't tell through their masks, they become excited at the prospect of an unexpected meal. The male arrancar quickly expels any notions of a feast with just a shake of his head.

**Rrurikio: **'You've returned; what news do you bring?'

The female hollow nods at his words and states her reply in a near animilistic snarl;

**female hollow:** 'Aizen continues to watch the boy with orange hair and we have heard he's continuing to make new arrancar, powered by his hougyoku.'

The first hollow steps up and continues the report in an echoing voice.

**tall hollow:** 'The eighth espada, Szayel Aporro Granz, has many experiments going on in his labs; some of them involve other hollow, but mostly he does things to himself.'

Llibelula closes her eyes and shakes her head, annoyed.

**Llibelula: **'Why does Aizen watch the human so much? I'm almost curious enough to visit the boy myself.'

After the exchange between the two, Thanos steps up and folds his arms across his large chest.

**Thanos:** 'You there; hollow with knowledge of this scientist. Have you seen the equipment that this "espada" uses?

The large hollow looks down at the two arrancar in the room who motion for him to answer the titan's question.

**tall hollow:** 'You must be powerful to walk into a place filled with creatures that could devour you in an instant.'

**Thanos:** 'I am powerful; what answer do you have to my question?'

**tall hollow:** 'I've seen many things he uses; that espada is insane. He's very cautious about who sees his work, but I've managed to make contact with his fraccion and they tell me things that he does. He has eyes everywhere in his labs, but because of my ability to turn invisible, I'm able to sneak in undetected.'

**Thanos:** 'An interesting power indeed. If I asked you to raid his labs, could you do it? I have made a pact with your protectors and we have plans to bring soul society to its knees and destroy it! I require existing technology in order to achieve my goals.'

The three moles look at each other and then back to the two arrancar who confirm the titan's words with a simultaneous nod of their heads. The middle hollow with the triceratops mask finally speaks for the first time; his voice a low grumble.

**tri-horned hollow:** 'If Aizen gets wind of this, we could be in trouble. We don't want to join his army, but isn't what your new friend here suggestin' the same thing?'

**Llibelula:** 'Aizen wants to conquer soul society; this being proposes that we crush the whole place. You don't have to join in if you don't want to; just don't get in our way.'

**tri-horned hollow:** 'I know that soul reapers taste great but how are we gonna pull this off?'

**Thanos:** 'I will start by first experimenting on these three subjects here; once I have my equipment, then the planning will move into action.'

**Rrurikio:** 'We are going to go through with this with or without your help. If we have to break into los noches ourselves, we will; it will just be much easier with your involvement. Do you understand?'

The three slowly nod and then find resolve in themselves to follow and carry out their protector's wishes. They turn and leave the vast cave as Thanos smiles and turns to his bound subjects.

**Thanos: **'Let us first begin by seeing what is in your minds.'

He walks over to the the dark-skinned, bearded soul reaper and goes to one knee as he picks him up by his thick restraints. He roughly slaps the man awake and the soul reaper glares at his captor as he regains awareness. Thanos strongly grabs the soul reaper's chin and twists his head up so the titan can stare him in the eyes. Suddenly the prisoner does something that Thanos isn't expecting; he spits in his face!

**bearded soul reaper:** 'Whoever you are, monster, you will not find us easy prey.'

After a short pause, Thanos contorts his face into a slow grin while the mucus runs down his purple skin. Instantly the soul reaper cries out in pain as the titan unleashes a devastating psionic pulse deep within his brain! As the titan mentally pummels his prize, he notices another presence in the man's mind. For the time being he ignores it, and after a few more seconds of the man's agonizing screams, Thanos lets up. The man falls as limp as he can, considering his restraints, in the eternal's grip. Blood flows freely from his nose, ears and eyes, however, he is still breathing; barely. Thanos finally wipes off the remaining spit from his face and tosses the worn out soul reaper aside. The two arrancar watch as the nihilist mercilessly deals with their spoils of the morning. As Thanos finishes with his first interrogation, the other two captives start to wake up. The soul reaper with his ear pierced, frantically looks around at his new surroundings and then spots the two arrancar that he had seen earlier. Llibelula dramatically opens her arms wide and bows gracefully to him.

**Llibelula:** 'Welcome, soul reaper, to hueco mundo.'

The soul reaper's face turns paler as he futily struggles against his bonds.

**shaggy-haired soul reaper: **'H-hueco mundo? Y-you won't get away with this ya stinkin' hollow scum! Soul society will come lookin' for us and then you'll be the ones in restraints!'

**Thanos:** 'You would do well not to irritate my gracious hosts, soul reaper. They would sooner eat you then to let your smell soil their home.'

The soul reaper jerks his head at the sound of Thanos's voice. From his position, he couldn't see the titan properly, but now, sees him fully. As if his eyes couldn't get any wider, they seem to now want to burst out of his head! The female death god starts to stir as well as all of this is going on and manages to sit up against her iron coils. She too has a look of shocked disbelief at the situation she finds herself in.

**female soul reaper:** 'Who are you? I've never seen you in any data base and you have no mask. How are you in hueco mundo if you're not a hollow? Are you aiding Aizen?'

Llibelula glares at the female when she says Aizen's name and Rrurikio slowly walks over to the girl. He slowly kneels down to her level and puts a hand on the top of her head. The soul reaper flinches at his touch but he ignores her.

**Rrurikio:** 'Girl; do not ever speak that ex-soul reaper's name while in our presence again. I won't be able to restrain my fair Llibelula from ripping you to shreds if you do, and our new acquaintance would be most unpleased with us as well.'

As he gets up he threateningly pats her cheek twice before he returns to his position along side his mate. Thanos folds his arms and chuckles as he senses the intentions of his comrades. The female soul reaper looks back to Thanos who has yet to answer her questions.

**female soul reaper:** 'If you're not working for him, then why attack us? We were just there for the recently deceased; we weren't looking for a fight.'

**Thanos:** 'You are here because I am curious about you. If I understand those two and their intentions, and it was left up to them, you and your team would be food right now; so be greatful that I have use of you. For the time being however, you can amuse me by telling me everything that you know about your soul society.'

**female soul reaper:** 'Why? What good would that information do someone like you?'

He smiles at her defiant questions and answers menacingly;

**Thanos:** 'My dear girl; it would do all the good in the world.'

**female soul reaper: **'I won't give into your demands! You'll have to kill me.'

**Thanos:** 'In good time, girl; in good time.'

He tilts his head in her direction and doesn't say a word. Instead of attacking her mind, he probes it with his telepathy. Like with the other soul reaper before her, Thanos feels a presence resist him; but it does little good in way of shielding her as the titan's mental self passes right through her mind's protector.

**Thanos:** 'Girl; what is trying to protect your mind? I could not communicate with it.'

**female soul reaper: **'Y-you monster! I-it's my zanbakutou spirit; I haven't learned it's name yet, but even so, you shouldn't be able to invade my mind!'

**Thanos:** 'I will not be long.'

As he moves along inside of her mind, he finds that she is reletively new to being a soul reaper. A new graduate out of the academy, just assigned to squad five. Thirteen court gaurd squads. Three captains defecting; Aizen, Gin, and Tousen. Thanos smiles inwardly; _so that is who this Aizen is; I will keep my eye on him while I am here. _As he continues to pilage the girl's mind, he finds out more and more about what she knows of his target. He learns that up to this point, no one knows of his existence and that the element of surprise is still his. Hollow can come and go as they please from this place to soul society using a technique similar to what Rrurikio used earlier. He frowns as he quickly finds that because of her infancy, she doesn't know much besides the basics. He then resolves to turn her into a test subject as soon as the other hollow return with his desired equipment. Thanos steps out of her mind and she quickly slumps against her restraints; exhausted. The titan turns his attention to the earring wearing soul reaper who is still visibily shaken at the series of events that are transpiring before his eyes.

**Thanos:** 'You there, boy; what do you know of this "zanbakutou" your companion speaks of?'

**shaggy-haired soul reaper:** 'W-when I get outta here, I'm gonna show ya what a zanbakutou is!'

**Thanos:** 'Will you?'

The eternal turns to the two seemingly patient arrancar with a disturbing grin spread across his face.

**Thanos:** 'Where could I go to test this boy's threats?'

**Rrurikio:** 'Are you that curious? Very well; further into our area, you will find a fair amount of open space. We will go with you to ensure that you don't make a mess.'

**Llibelula:** 'This should be fun.'

Thanos walks over to the sweating man and hoists him up by his tightly wrapped prison.

**shaggy-haired soul reaper:** 'W-wait! What are ya damned arrancars up to?'

While walking, the female arrancar turns back to their captive and smiles as she whispers;

**Llibelula:** 'You better make sure you're worth all of this trouble, soul reaper.'

Rrurikio effortlessly lights the way as they walk to the large area in the back of the cave. Thanos roughly throws the imprisoned soul reaper near the center of the place; he lands with a huff and in a cloud of dust. The male arrancar's mate glares at the prone soul reaper and for the first time in Thanos's recollection, she uses her powers over darkness. Due to the light in the surrounding area, the soul reaper casts a shadow upon the ground. Suddenly the shadow becomes considerably darker, until it looks seemingly tangible! Tendrils of pitch crawl out of the nothingness and then wrap themselves around the steel that holds the man in place. He watches in horror as his very own shadow is used against him! Thanos on the other hand, sits outwardly impressed with this display! Within seconds, the shadows rend the steel, freeing their captive. The soul reaper rubs his arms for an instant before back flipping to a safer distance to better defend himself. The two arrancar disappear audibly before reappearing in opposite corners from Thanos's possisition, forming a triangle. The shaggy-haired man darts his eyes back and forth as he tries to locate his enemy's movements. Thanos smiles and folds his arms assuredly as he faces his target.

**Thanos:** 'Now soul reaper; "show me your zanbakutou".'

**shaggy-haired soul reaper: **'You want it ugly, you got it!'

He draws his sword from its sheath, located at his waist, and charges the much larger being in front of him. Thanos's smile widens as the man closes in on him. The man swings hard with his first attack, coming down fast to try and open the titan's chest up! Thanos lets the sword make contact, only for the blow to glance off of his golden armor! Clearly surprised by the hault of his attack, the soul reaper skips back to reevaluate his approach. Thanos smirks and mocks the soul reaper;

**Thanos:** 'This can not be all the power your weapon posseses is it? I believe I have been struck harder by children.'

**shaggy-haired soul reaper:** 'I-impossible! You took a full forced swing from my sword and you don't have a mark on ya!'

The titan nods in agreement of the man's observation as he flexes his gauntleted hands. The soul reaper's look of shock quickly turns to a look of confidence as he sheaths his sword and spreads out his hands.

**shaggy-haired soul reaper:** 'I might not be able to cut through your armor, but I bet I can hurt ya real good with my kidou! I was the best in my class, so ya better get ready for some pain!'

Thanos looks past the soul reaper towards his two allies who have bored looks upon their faces.

**shaggy-haired soul reaper:** 'Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat! Bakudou, number nine: Hourin!'

Instantly, his right hand glows bright with yellowish-orange light and a tendril of matching colored energy shoots forward, entangling the large titan in its grasp! The soul reaper's eyes flash with confidence as he follows this up wth another attack.

**shaggy-haired soul reaper:** 'Hado, number eleven: Tsuzuri Raiden!'

While holding onto his pulsating energy tendril, yellow electricity ripples out and around the surface of the rope, racing towards the bound eternal! The electricity pours through the titan's body, making his armor flash briliantly with color! The soul reaper, still holding the end of the tendril, races towards Thanos and then draws his sword once more. As he nears, the titan's eyes flash with power and he destroys his electrified prison with an impressive show of brute force! Before the soul reaper can stop his attack, Thanos grabs the man by the throat and then slams him hard into the ground, creating a crater with the soul reaper's body! As the dust clears, Llibelula and Rrurikio casually walk back to the titan. The soul reaper lies in the rubble, barely breathing, from the quick beating that he just recieved.

**Rrurikio:** 'You're movements are slow, but rather effective against this one.'

**Thanos:** 'I want you to teach me how to move at your speed. If anyone from my dimension should come looking to stop me, they would be surprised to learn that they could not touch me.'

**Llibelula: **'I don't think you could learn sonido in just a couple of days.'

**Thanos:** 'I do not expect to learn your techniques in a conventional way, woman. My body, even in a spirit form, is enhanced beyond that of normal flesh and blood. When your followers come back with equipment I can use, we will see what I can do about acquiring your abilities.'

**Rrurikio: **'How do you know they will even bring back usable technology?'

**Thanos:** 'My ability to invent things surpasses anything you have seen thus far. I will make due with what I have to work with.'

After the conversation ends, Llibelula uses her control over darkness to pick up the unconscious soul reaper and once again bind him in his iron cage. They slowly head back the way the had come and soon find themselves where they had left the other two soul reapers. The bearded soul reaper has recovered by the time they get back and he just glares at the three returning figures.

**Thanos:** 'It appears that you still have fight in you. I hope that you remain as sturdy in the coming days, for I have need of your fortitude.'

The soul reaper spits on the ground at his words but says nothing to the titan. Thanos spends the rest of his time that day exploring the great expanse of this underground cave. It seems to go on for miles and miles, as if the underground was as large as the above level. As he continues to walk, he sees many more hollow lurking in the shadows. The titan calculates that there must be at least a thousand just in this area! He smiles to himself as plan after plan forms in his diabolical mind as how best to use these creatures. He wants to start working right away but also realizes that his grand scheme will take time and that he has to wait on the hollow to return. Now that he is alone, without the distractions of arrancar or soul reapers, Thanos begins to feel a strange tingling through his armor down to his skin. He lifts his hand up to his face and flexes his fingers as he continues to feel the unique sensation.

**Thanos:** 'What is this? This feeling is similar to how I channel my vast cosmic energies. Am I unknowingly absorbing this world's power?'

He smiles at his theory as he begins to concentrate on this sensation. The mad titan outstretches his hand and spreads his feet as he opens himself up to the energy of hueco mundo. Soon, blue particles begin to materialize and flow into his body. He smiles as the sensation intensifies and after several minutes, he relaxes his frame and haults the absorbtion. His eyes flash with the newly stored energy as he slowly walks back to the central part of the cave.

_**The past; day three.**_

Thanos walks into the area where the three soul reapers are being held. Their swords have been placed on a near by flat surface that seems to have been carved out of the rock. He looks down at the beaten three before him and the shaggy-haired one that tried to best him yesterday looks up to him with tired eyes.

**Shaggy-haired soul reaper:** 'Whatever you have planned, you better do it quick, 'cause we're not gonna last much longer.'

Thanos tilts his head at this; amused.

**Thanos:** 'Are you saying that you are going to die? Are you not already dead? Why do you require nurishment?'

**female soul reaper:** 'You monster. Normal souls with no spiritual pressure require nothing once they cross over to the other side. However, soul reapers and higher level hollow alike, need food in order to survive.'

The titan turns around at the sound the arrancar make as they make their entrance into the room as well.

**Thanos: **'Is what these soul reapers say true?'

**Rrurikio:** 'Partially; when you witnessed us consume those souls, we didn't do it out of complete gluttony. We did it for survival and power. Here in hueco mundo, the spirit particles are much more condensed, so we and the many other hollow can survive here without making frequent trips to the world of the living. That many souls was just too good to pass up though.'

**Llibelula:** 'These reapers know nothing of hueco mundo; if need be, they too can survive on the particles here. They're just pampered by the society's food.'

Thanos doesn't miss the distain in her voice as she mentions soul society but he chooses to ignore her hatred. Shortly after the conversation ends, more noises can be heard from the other chamber and the two arrancar vanish once more as Thanos takes one last look at the three before walking out of the room. The titan appears out of the shadowed antechamber and lays eyes on the three hollow that left yesterday to retrieve the titan's wares. He smiles as he sees a large sack slightly open, laying on the ground before the hollow's feet. He walks over to them and as he nears, the hollow back away from the bag and out of the room. Thanos opens the bag and peers inside to see what has been delivered to him. There are cables and diodes and many other things that the eternal believes he can use immediately. As far as the other things in the bag, he knows that with his great intelect, he can put the other things into use as well. He picks up the large sack and effortlessly tosses it over his shoulder and heads back down the corridor without a word to his allies. For the next two days, Thanos holds himself up in his make-shift laboratory, tinkering and piecing together machinery. He doesn't know the names of the machines that were brought to him, nor does he care; all that he cares about now is making things that will benefit his plans of destruction. He finally puts down his tools and smiles as he admires some of his work. The titan picks up eight, flat circular objects and walks out of his make shift workshop. As he walks, he calls out to the two arrancar that have given him the time to work.

**Thanos:** 'Are the two of you there? I have something to show you.'

Llibelula and Rrurikio step out of a portal of shadow created by the female. Thanos smiles as he learns more and more of the woman's abilities. He walks past the two, beckoning them to follow him as he does.

**Thanos: **'Come; what I have in mind requires a wide open space for you to move around in.'

They look at each other but follow the mad titan's summons. They leave their sanctuary with the titan as they ascend to the eternally moon-lit sands above. Once outside, Thanos turns to the two advanced hollow and smiles.

**Llibelula:** 'What is it that you want? You've been silent for days and we've had to endure the soul reaper's constant whining.'

Thanos says nothing, but instead holds up the eight discs that he took from his lab. Rrurikio folds his arms and Llibelula looks away, unimpressed.

**Thanos: **'I have four of these for each of you; put them on your elbow and knee joints.'

After a few seconds of silence, the female arrancar sighs, resigning herself to the titan's whim. They take the discs and do what he says as the eternal continues to smile. Once the items are in place, Thanos's eyes flash with anticipation and he says;

**Thanos: **'Now, if you will move at your fastest speed as long as you can.'

Rrurikio and Llibelula's eyes go wide before they regain their indifferent expressions. Thanos powers up his hands with cosmic energy and the eight discs begin to glow with power as well.

**Rrurikio:** 'I see.'

The male arrancar nods to his mate and the two dissapear with an audible vibration. As they move around the area with insanely fast speed, Thanos just stands there; letting them do all the work as his machines record, absorb and transmit their biorythmns to him! This display goes on for hours, with each arrancar periodically slowing down just enough to kick up sand and cause mini tornadoes in their wake. The moon hardly moves overhead as they finally finish with their allies request. They materialize once again in front of Thanos without a bead of sweat on their skin and just look at the titan. His body emits a small glow of power as the discs on his allies' bodies finish the transfer of data to his augmented synapses and muscle memory. As his discs smoke and fall off the arrancar's frames, Thanos applauds the two on a job well done.

**Thanos: **'Ah; it would appear that you have over loaded my reflex recorders with your amazing speed. No matter; I seem to have enough of your movements embedded in my fibers to suffice. You two did quite well.'

**Rrurikio:** 'This is what you had in mind when you wanted to learn our sonido?'

**Llibelula:** 'Kind of cheap if you ask me.'

**Thanos: **'Perhaps so; but the time it would have taken for you to train me in your ways would have taken far too long for my liking. Be thankful arrancar, that I did not take your abilities by force.'

**Llibelula:** 'That would have been interesting to see, outsider.'

Thanos grins menecingly at the smaller female as Llibelula's partner runs a hand through his long black hair. He clears his throat to once again kill the tension in the air. Thanos doesn't miss that Llibelula seems to follow Rrurikio's wishes without hardly any communication. the titan decides to change the subject of conversation;

**Thanos: **'Come; I have one more item I wish to show you this day. Before I do, I need to know how much you care about your fellow hollow down in your cave.'

**Llibelula:** 'Will you ever learn? They're not "ours"; they just stay near by for their own safety.'

**Rrurikio: **'Hollow tend to congregate around power; if you can prove that you are stronger than they are, they will serve you.'

**Thanos:** 'Very well; before I show you what else I have made, I will subjugate my own hollow.'

With that, Thanos shows off what his recorders gathered from the arrancars by disappearing from the surface of the sand and reappearing in the underground home of the hollow! Rrurikio closes his eyes and Llibelula smirks at how fast Thanos's devices have worked for him. As the titan walks through the underground cave, he sees the various hollow follow his every move. The eternal comes to a stop in a large deep section of the subterrainian area and opens his hands in an inviting jesture. The hollow who have followed him to this place lingure in the deep shadows of the trees.

**Thanos: **'I have watched all of you for several days and I know you would like nothing more than to make me your next meal. Come forth and take your chance!'

For the next few seconds, there is silence in the large area and then the cave is filled with low growls and ear splitting roars! All Thanos sees are many glowing eyes at first, but soon comes face to face with two large hairy hollow! The nihilist smiles as his challenge is answered, and the two large hollow roar in unison, spewing drool from their jaws. One of the hollow stands and tenses as hair from its back hardens and shoots straight for the titan! Thanos moves to one side and grabs the hardened locks and spins around, knocking him into his companion! The other hollow, upon contact, seems to burst into nothingness; letting all of its hair fall to the ground. As Thanos smiles, thinking that his work is done, the dormant mass of hair suddenly gains sentince and quickly wraps itself around the titan's wrists, ankles, neck and waist! The other hollow gets up and half growls, half laughs at his captured opponent.

**hairy hollow: **'Not so cocky now are you? We've been watching you too alien, and we know you look down on us like we're nothing! But I hold the power now and you will cower in fear!'

**Thanos:** 'I see now; the two of you are actually one entity, are you not? You use your other self as a decoy to trap your unsuspecting prey, then you come in and collect the spoils.'

**hairy hollow:** 'You're the first to learn about how my power works so quickly. In a hundred years, no one's been that good; any last words before I tear your soul apart?'

**Thanos:** 'Only one; burn.'

Surprised by the sadistic smile that spreads across Thanos's face, the monster hesitates before going in for the kill. The titan concentrates hot plasma into his hands and the energy sets fire to the thick hair encircling his wrists! The fire spreads quickly, engulfing the hollow's entire body in seconds. As the once proud hollow writhes in pain, Thanos steps over its melting mask and sneers;

**Thanos: **'I do hope that you are not the most powerful pawn here in this forest.'

The ashes stay for a moment before disintegrating all together, and after a moment, the eternal once more calls out to the darkness.

**Thanos: **'You have all witnessed my power; do you believe he was the strongest of you all? I need volunteers; if none of you step forward, I will go in and get you.'

Nothing happens for a few minutes as the hollow in the shadows grumble and roar their deliberation. Thanos folds his arms across his chest and waits for anyone to step forward. Finally, three hollow emerge from the masses; the one in the middle resembles an ape-like creature, the one on its left is akin to a large spider and the one on the right looks like a humanoid porcupine; with quils running from it's mask, all the way down it's back and arms. As they approach the titan, he starts to move into a defensive position, but is soon surprised by the middle one's actions. The ape doesn't say a word but kneels at Thanos's feet! The other two follow suit and soon, the eternal can see the glowing red and yellow eyes in the forest lower, signaling their subservience. Thanos laughs a chilling laugh at this sight and beckons for the three at his feet to rise. He takes the trio into his lab where he has been working and points to spot near his table. The hollow move to where he directs and he calls out to the arrancar.

**Thanos: **'I can tell the two of you have not gone far; come out and share in my victory.'

The two once again emerge from a cluster of deep shadows and then go to stand a few feet from the titan.

**Thanos: **'My dominion over these creatures is complete; they are mine to do what I want with; will you interfere?'

**Rrurikio:** 'They are fellow hollow, but they have no loyalty to us.'

**Llibelula: **'This should be entertaining, if nothing else.'

Thanos nods and then leaves the room to get the three captured soul reapers who have seen better days. Their kimonos are ripped and their hair is knotted and tangled. With his extreme might, he grabs the three bodies, bindings and all, and takes them to his lab. He sits them down roughly on the hard rock and walks to his table. The titan then picks up three syringes and walks back over to the soul reapers.

**shaggy-haired soul reaper:** 'W-what are you doing now?'

His face contorts ever so slightly as Thanos plunges the needle deep within his arm and draws a large sample of his blood. The female soul reaper looks on in horror.

**female soul reaper:** 'Wait! There's nothing you can do with that!

Thanos ignores her coldly and draws a sample from her arm, as well as her other companion's arm. He walks back over to his table and uncovers a device that is positioned near by. He injects one of the needles into the device and empties the sample of blood into the machine. Llibelula watches with a bit of curiousity as he walks over to another larger machine that is covered with cloth. Thanos unveils that one as well and it looks like a chamber of some sorts. The two devices are connected by some cables that run the length of the floor. The titan, who has been silent this whole time, remains quiet while he works. He places his hand on a rather large box protruding out of the chamber-like machine and pours a bit of his near limitless store of cosmic energy into it. The machine hums to life as lights illuminate the area in their glow. Thanos turns and points to the ape-like hollow before speaking.

**Thanos:** 'You will be my first subject; enter the modifier and be silent.'

The hollow stiffens and hesitates a moment before cautiously entering the chamber. Once inside, the titan touches a button near the entrance and a shimmering wall of energy closes the hollow within! The hollow instantly puts a hand up to the solid energy, but not the slightest sound escapes the confines of the device. Thanos touches another button and a red mist starts to seap into the air tight tube via unseen vents. The machine on the table hisses as the once liquid life giver becomes a gas that is obsorbed into the hollow's body. The monster inside the tube reacts violently, stiking the chamber with all of it's might! The machine rocks with the force, but is otherwise uneffected, and soon its body starts to change and morph before the arrancar's very eyes! A minute passes as the mist clears; Thanos smiles wickedly as a new form reveals himself in the chamber. The once ape-like hollow stands up and looks at the arrancar and Thanos through dark brown eyes. The shaggy-haired soul reaper looks on in horror as he faces a mirror image of himself! Inside the chamber, the psuedo-soul reaper looks at his new body and frowns as he takes in his naked form and other foreign features.

**Thanos:** 'This is only step one in my plan; we will use these three hollow to infiltrate soul society. They will keep us informed as to what soul society's captains and other protectors are doing.'

The female arrancar closes her eyes and grimaces before speaking.

**Llibelula:** 'He even has that soul reaper's spiritual pressure; if I didn't witness the transformation, I'd want to eat him right now.'

Thanos chuckles at her icy confession and then releases the hollow from the chamber. He beckons the second hollow into the tube and goes through the process again. After a few minutes, the spider hollow steps out as the bearded soul reaper. The last hollow follows suit and is changed into the female soul reaper. With the tranformations complete, the three naked impersanations walk over to the shackled soul reapers and forcibly remover each of their kimonos. Thanos turns to his two partners and waves his hand in the direction of the still bound, shamed soul reapers; invinting them to do what they want with them. Llibelula looks at her partner and sighs as he nods to her.

**Rrurikio:** 'We prefer to do our own hunting, but we don't want to let our food spoil either.'

With that, the titan walks out of the room with the three changed hollow. For a few seconds, screams can be heard coming from the soul reapers; then, nothing. Thanos walks to where the three prisoners were being held and goes to where their swords are. After a few seconds of silence, he tilts his head in curiosity, then turns back to his creations.

**Thanos:** 'You three will need their weapons to make the charrade complete. Earlier, when the soul reapers were alive, I sensed a presence emenating from each of their swords. Now, however, that feeling is gone; you would do well not to bring too much attention to yourselves, for if you do, soul society will destroy you. From what I pulled from the soul reaper's minds, you three belong to what is called the "fifth division". To help you better fit in, I will transfer a few memories to each of you.'

He glares at the three impersonators as he floods their minds with the memories he had stolen earlier. The three sets of eyes in front of the titan widen in response to the flow of information that bombards their minds. Names, dates, favorite foods and a multiude of other things get transfered to the hollow, and after a few moments, Thanos finishes the transfer. He then walks up to each of them and roughly implants a small micro-chip into their throats. The hollow grimace at the sensation as they rub their now healing wounds. At this time the two arrancar have finished their meal and walk into the room to meet up with the nihilist once more.

**Thanos:** 'Did you enjoy your snack? I have just finished giving them each a memory implant, along with a small voice enabler that will alter their speech patern to better fit the soul reaper's sound.'

**Rrurikio: **'You've been quite busy the past few days haven't you? We will take these three and transfer them to soul society; we won't be gone long.'

**Thanos:** 'Take your time.'

With that, the five hollow leave and Thanos is alone in the massive underground chamber. He decides to use his newly acquired sonido and without turning around, vanishes, only to reapear within seconds at his makeshift lab. The titan smiles inwardly at how he believes things will be now that he has newfound speed and agility. After a few minutes of working on another device, the purple-hued destroyer gets up from his workspace and walks over to an open area. He looks down at his hands and thinks; _I have been passively obsorbing this world's unique energy for days now. I wonder..._ He lifts his hand up to the empty space in front of him and gestures with his hand, similar to how he witnessed Rrurikio open up the portal to the real world. He concentrates hard and slowly a blue glow engulfs his hand! Thanos smiles as a small hole in space begins to rip open as he continues to gesture. He stops after a few minutes of moderate strain and the hole dissapears and he goes back to his devices. Thanos again thinks to himself; _so I can open my own perhaps. I will question the arrancar further on this matter. _As the titan works, he takes a sample of his own DNA to further his own research. He spots a hollow lurking close by and motions for the monster to come to him. It has elongated arms and four legs, with its mask resembling a horse skull. The titan grabs the hollow by its thick, muscular arm and takes a sample of its blood. He sets the vile down on his work bench for later and then gestures to the hollow to step into the chamber. Having witnessed what happened to its fellow hollow, the multi-legged beast shakes its head and roars pleadingly. Thanos frowns as he threatenly charges his fist with cosmic energy. The hollow bows and heads into the chamber. Thanos then places his own DNA into the housing that was used to transport the soul reaper's blood into the chamber. The titan again walks over to the machine and powers it up with his own energy. Similar effects take place as the hollow is bombarded with Thanos's foreign blood. The mist soon clears in the tube and standing before Thanos is the same hollow with slightly larger arms and legs. The most striking things about the experiment is that bony protrusions now cover the hollow's body and the white bone resembles Thanos's armor! Its mask is no longer that of a horse's skull, but instead it more so mimics Thanos's facial structure! Thanos tilts his head slightly as he looks over his experiement. He then goes and sits back down to write out a list of supplies for the next time the moles in Aizen's ranks come back. After he finishes his notes, the titan gets up and moves over to the large bag that still has some unused parts in it. He rumages through it and takes out several parts and pieces and lays them on the ground, getting ideas on how best to use them. Shortly after he begins his new project, the two arrancar enter the room.

**Rrurikio:** 'After depositing the hollow, we stayed for a while to watch as four soul reapers rushed to their battle weary comrades. Your voice adapters work wonders; they couldn't tell the difference at all in their speech patterns.'

**Llibelula:** 'Where you come from, you must be held in high regard for your inteligence. From the stories we are told from our sleepers in Aizen's command, I think your schemes could rival his.'

**Thanos:** 'I have only just begun to spin my web.'

The titan then turns around and resumes his work, and the two arrancar leave him to his own devices. A few hours later, the female hollow with the twisted horns returns to give her report to the arrancar. Thanos hears the three discussing their strategy and leaves his lab with his list of supplies in hand. He sonidos out of the room and emerges in the main hall with the sound of imploding air. The hollow looks past her powerful protectors to the titan; he walks up to her and hands her the list of supplies.

**Thanos:** 'Where are the other two hollow?'

**female hollow:** 'They couldn't leave their post at the moment.'

**Thanos:** 'Will you be able to deliver my request?'

**female hollow:** 'I will do what's needed; we're stationed near each other so there won't be any problem.'

**Thanos:** 'Good.'

The titan turns without another word and leaves the three beings to do what they will. For the next twenty-four hours Thanos is undisturbed as he puts hollow after hollow through tests in his machines. He continues to draw from his own lifeforce to give new strength to these lowly beings. After the next five hollow are transformed, he haults his experiments to survey his progress. He smiles as he looks around and sees over a hundred modified monsters before him. He doesn't want to stop but he knows that he needs more to fufill his plans. After a minute more of diliberation, Thanos turns around to see the two arrancar enter his work area. He smiles at them as he opens his arms wide to show how large his army has grown.

**Rrurikio:** 'These few have grown in strength; I don't know what this number will do to the captain-class soul reapers.'

**Thanos:** 'This is just the beginning; take me to soul society and I will put these new hollow to the test.'

**Llibelula: **'Don't be over zealous; that place has many powerful defenders.'

**Thanos:** 'I would not be here if this place did not offer any challenge. I came here to destroy a worthy opponent and bring back the spoils of war.'

Llibelula sighs resignedly as her and Rrurikio turn and walk out of the lab. Thanos looks back over his shoulder and beckons ten of his hollow to follow. Their roars are all that he hears as a response; then, he too, leaves the room. As Thanos catches up with the two arrancar, Rrurikio speaks up;

**Rrurikio:** 'We'll take you to the outskirts of soul society; it's the least gaurded and you can test your creations with little interference.'

**Thanos:** 'Very well. I do hope that I can retrieve a few usable specimens on this trip. Once your moles return, then the real invasion can begin.'

The titan laughs chillingly as the male arrancar opens another garganta for the force to step through. As they walk through the unstable vortex, Thanos concentrates and notices that his footpath becomes more stable . He smiles inwardly at his partial mastery over the energy that he has been constantly obsorbing since he arrived here. After walking for a time, the arrancar once again opens their exit and Thanos pays much more attention to the hollow's technique to get a better feel on how to make his own portal work. When they arrive in soul society, it is already dark and quiet. The eternal steps out and looks around at this new world. He glances down to the female arrancar as she makes her way out of the portal. He doesn't care, but he can tell she is tensed by the darkness. Rrurikio quietly moves along side her and she instantly relaxes. Thanos wants to study their bond but knows he has more important things to do while he's here. The place where the thirteen have come to is covered in medium-high grass and is surrounded by a thick cover of trees. Thanos holds up one hand and sends a large blast of cosmically charged matter directly through the trees in his path! The area turns a brilliant green and then the sky is alight with red and orange hues as the remaining brush burns. He smiles to no one in particular as he crunches under foot the charred remains of hundred year old trees. He steps out of the newly cleared forest with the arrancar flanking him and his hollow behind him. As he looks on, the titan spots many houses fashioned in the old stylings of Earth's ancient Japan. He clasps his hands together in preparation of his attack. The modified hollows begin to roar in impatience as they sit idle. Thanos tilts his head to the sound and motions forward with his arms. At once, all ten hollow rush past the three powerful beings and start to attack the village mercilessly! The sound of bedlam is like music to the titan's ears and he chuckles menecingly as carnage spreads all around him. Panicked screams and cries can be heard over the caconphony of the hollow's assault on the defensless denizens. Out of the corner of his eye, Thanos notices that Llibelula has created a portal out of shadow and her and Rrurikio start to slip into it.

**Thanos:** 'Do you not want to stay for tonight's festivities?'

**Llibelula:** 'We won't be far. We feel it's unnecessary to show our involvement just yet.'

**Thanos:** 'I feel it is the perfect time for me to show myself.'

He walks away from the conealed arrancar and soon joins his minions in the chaos that continues to unfold in front of him. As he steps onto a dirt patch, a young boy runs past him with tears in his eyes. Before the child can get out of the reach of Thanos's arms, the titan reaches down and plucks the boy up by his ragged shirt. The child kicks and whimpers for the eternal to put him down but Thanos just looks the tiny thing over. Thanos looks away as he hears one of his hollow roar wantingly. The eternal grimmaces and flings the boy over to where the hollow is waiting. He continues to walk when he no longer hears the sound of the boy's protests. He powers up his fists and lets loose a volley of cosmic energy at the near-by buildings and frightened people. His attack goes on for another five minutes before six soul reapers appear on an untouched building thirty feet away.

**soul reaper:** 'You there, ryoka; cease your activity or face the consequences.'

Thanos puts his smoldering hands down to his sides passively. Two of the flanking soul reapers relax their swords and jump down from their perch as they move to capture the titan. Thanos then smiles wickedly as his eyes glow bright right before he fires off a wide beam of cuncussive force at the first soul reaper's chest! It catches him hard in the torso and sends him back over the building's rooftop, where he lies, unmoving. The two who had moved to restrain their large advesary, fair no better as he once again powers up his fists and sends them rocketing back into the building they had just come down from! The other three act, as they try and take down the powerful eternal as well, but they too end up being beaten by his awesome power. At the end of the fight, only one can barely move as he tries to crawl away. thanos lets him go saying;

**Thanos:** 'Go. Know on this day; that I, Thanos, have let you live. Tell your masters that I declar war on your soul society; I want them to try and stop me!'

With the village in ruin, and his new hollow satiated with the souls of the village, he collects the unconscious warriors and heads back to where he last left the two arrancar. Rrurikio appears out of the blackness first, followed by his partner.

**Llibelula:** 'It seems that you've enjoyed yourself.'

**Thanos:** 'This experience was worthwhile.'

He follows them back into the garganta, and like he did before, the titan focuses on his footing and forms a more solid path for himself to walk along. They exit the portal and make their way back to the arrancar's dwelling. Thanos carries all five unconscious soul reapers into his lab and lays them on the ground in the middle of four free-standing polls. He strips them of their swords and places the weapons on an uncluttered table top. After that, he goes back to stand at the first poll. The rods aren't much to look at; simple in design, but they hold a secret. After laying the bodies on the ground, Thanos walks over to each device and turns the middle segment counter clockwise. Nothing seems to happen, but a faint buzz of electricity can be heard in the silence of the room. Thanos then leaves the room to speak to his hosts. He finds the two arrancar near one another, with Llibelula sitting on a formation of rocks; Serppiente wrapped around the stone's base.

**Thanos: **'Is there any word yet on the agents in your enemy's army?'

**Rrurikio:** 'Have patience Thanos; if they're gone too frequently, then the espada may get suspiscious.'

**Llibelula:** 'Give them a couple of days; I'm sure your new guests will keep you company until they arrive.'

The titan strokes his chin and then turns on his heel as he leaves the three in silence. He walks back to his captives who are just now beginning to stir. He frowns at them and then unleashes a psionic pulse inside of their heads to instantly knock them out again! He once again turns a section of one of the rods and the electric hum disappears. He steps into the cage and takes one of the soul reapers out and puts him into the transformation chamber. Thanos then takes a sample of one of the unchanged hollow's blood and powers up the machine. Even though Thanos had knocked out the soul reaper before putting him in the chamber, the man jolts awake as a change racks his body. His human scream slowly changes into a blood-thirsty roar as the mist engulfs his form. A few minutes later, the machine powers down and the mist clears, revealing a hollow with a soul reaper kimono on! Thanos tilts his head as his experiment comes out of the chamber. It bows its head to the titan and Thanos smirks. He cooly takes the remaining prisoners, one by one, and does the same thing to them. He then takes their new mixed blood and combines it with other unchanged hollow. For the next two days he changes hollow after hollow with the DNA of the kimono-clad hollow. He knows that continuous use of these strains of life force will delude his stock, but he doesn't care. He only needs them for fodder and distractions; he cares nothing for these creatures. As he finishes up a few more transformations, the two arrancar enter his domain. He sees them as they look around his lab and notice the several hundred newly changed creatures.

**Rrurikio:** 'You've grown quite an impressive army Thanos; do you plan on using them anytime soon?'

**Thanos:** 'Of course; I am just about ready to unleash my mite on all of soul society.'

**Llibelula:** 'Before you do, wouldn't you like to test these hollow out on soul society's substitute soul reaper? The reports out of hueco mundo tell us that he's very strong.'

The eternal raises his chin at the female's words as he contemplates his next move.

**Thanos: **'This boy is strong you say? Very well; tomorrow I will deposit a few of my hollow into his world.'

The two arrancar smile and then leave the titan to his business. Thanos sits back in his chair and presses his fingers together contemplatively. After a few minutes of diliberation, he gets up and selects the hollow he wants for his test. Out of the thirty-five that he chooses, he implants five of them with microscopic video recorders so he can remotely watch how his attack unfolds. He beckons the mini army to follow him out of the area and up to the sand-covered land above.

**Thanos:** 'Go and find the orange-haired boy; I do not care how. Test his strength, and if one of you kill him, I will reward you with even more power.'

The hollow roar their obedience in unison as they shimmer out of existance. Thanos notices that they don't use a garganta, and they seem to have their own way traveling between worlds. The titan sonidos down to his lab and gathers up five, small, rectangular devices before heading back into the chamber that Llibelula and Rrurikio are in. They watch him come in with his machines and say nothing. He lays each device on the ground before them as he touches a button on each one. He steps back as the boxes produce a transparent video of early morning Japan. There is no sound but the three watch what the five hollow who are implanted with the small camera are seeing. Tall buildings fly by as the hollow search for their teenage target. The two arrancar look over to their cunning conspiritor as the male speaks.

**Rrurikio:** 'You're the type who doesn't like to get their hands dirty aren't you?'

**Thanos:** 'This mission is for curiousity's sake only. I see no reason to sully my hands with such a trivial thing as a "substitute" soul reaper.'

Llibelula smirks at their conversation then goes back to watching the projection. The hollow have made their way past the city and into a town. From the hollow's perspective, the group is high above the roofs and unsuspecting populace. They travel a few more blocks and come to a stop a few buildings later. The five videos seem to focus on one building in particular and Thanos assumes that the rest of the hollow follow suit. The titan smiles as it would seem his monsters have found the boy. A minute later, his smile is wiped away and is replaced by a deep frown, as he continues to watch through the hollow's perspective. Out of the building comes four very familiar faces; Thor, Hulk, Wolverine and Psylocke! The titan clenches his fists in frustration and the two arrancar take notice of this rare outward expression of emotion from the alien. The three continue to watch in silence as the orange-haired substitute in question makes his appearance. within twenty minutes, the battle has nearly come to its conclusion; right before Thor's hammer destroys Thanos's last video link, he catches an all too familiar red cloaked figure emerge from the house as well. The titan sits in silence as he lets what he has just seen sink in. Finally, he relaxes his hands and nods his head.

**Thanos: **'So; the sorcerer thinks that he can contend with me, does he? He has no idea what I will have in store for him and his allies when we finally meet.'

**Llibelula:** 'You know those strange beings?'

**Thanos:** 'They are my dimension's "heroes"; they tend to meddle in affairs that are out of their scope of comprehension.'

**Rrurikio:** 'From the images that we've seen, they look fairly powerful.'

**Thanos:** 'They are nothing more than flies that will be squashed underfoot.'

The eternal gets up without another word and vanishes before their eyes. He sits down in the all too familiar chair in his lab to contemplate todays setback. After a minute or two of thinking, the titan once again smiles as a thought crosses his mind.

**Thanos: **'With Dr. Strange leading that band of miscreants, I will have to be much more thurough in my planning from now on. All they know for sure is that I am involved; they do not know what my plans are or when I will strike.'

He sits back, satisfied with his assesment of the heroes' inability to stop him. The next night, the hollow who was charged with delivering Thanos's supplies, returns with another bag of hardware. Thanos takes the bag back to his lab with anticipation of what he will create next. He carefully dumps the contents of the sack onto the ground and sifts through the many parts and machinery that litter the area. Over the course of the next day, Thanos tirelessly creates a machine that resembles a profesional hair dryer, complete with a convertable hood. Llibelula and Rrurikio enter the chamber just as the titan is attatching restraining straps to the chair's arms and legs. The female arrancar speaks up in her now familiar whisper.

**Llibelula:** 'What's that you're working on?'

**Thanos:** 'It is a device that will ensure my dominance over the meddlesome heroes.'

**Rrurikio:** 'I think it'd be benificial if you told us what we'll be up against when we face your persuers.'

Thanos gets up from his work and folds his arms as he paces once before answering the arrancar.

**Thanos:** 'Very well. I will concede that these beings are indeed powerful.'

He walks over to the table and turns one of the five devices that recorded his hollow's attacks. Images project themselves in mid-air in the dimly-lit room.

**Thanos: **'The most dangerous one of these beings is the one that did not fight. His name is Dr. Strange and he has great knowledge of my dimension's mystical arts.'

He turns a dial, and the perspective of the battle changes as well as who is focused.

**Thanos:** 'Thor is a god of the Norse Pantheon; he posseses great strength and fortitude, as well as the ability to call forth storms from the heavens. The Thunderer has been a common nuisance in many of my schemes.'

The titan again changes the images; this time to the green-skinned behemoth.

**Llibelula: **'He's enormous.'

**Thanos:** 'Indeed. That monster is known as Hulk and his physical strength rivals my own. Rage fuels the beast and I have attempted, numerous times, to destroy the behemoth with little success.'

Thanos touches a gold-hued gauntlet to the projector once more.

**Thanos:** 'Make no mistake about this diminuative animal. He is known as Wolverine, and like his teammate Psylocke, he is a mutant; genetically gifted from birth with exceptional powers. He has an accelerated healing factor that can heal virtually any wound. I have turned him to putty on one occasion and he still lives. He is tenacious and can cut through even my advanced armor with his adamantium claws.'

**Rrurikio:** 'From the images, he has to be close to you to do any damage; I think our speed will make him a non-factor.'

Thanos pauses and smirks at the arrancar's comment before switching focus to his last enemy.

**Thanos: **'This is the female I had mentioned earlier. I must confess that I am not as familiar with this mutant as I would like to be. She is an adept fighter and has both telekinetic and telepathic abilities; I would like to see which one of us would win a psychic duel.'

After giving the two arrancar the breifing on their opponents, Thanos shuts the device off and turns to Llibelula.

**Thanos:** 'We will need to see what our imposters in soul society have learned up to this point; I need you to meet with them soon.'

The female frowns momentarily and then nods her commitment. The next few hours are uneventful as Thanos makes a few more modified hollow with his own life force. Llibelula quietly enters his lab and he turns to greet her.

**Thanos:** 'Do you bring word on what is happening within soul society?'

**Llibelula:** 'It appears that the newcomers had met with interference from soul society's elite. That sorcerer you mentioned earlier smoothed things over with everyone, and things are quiet.'

**Thanos: **'It is just like him to try and talk his way out of confrontation. Very well. I will not let them rest for long; send in a few hollow to test their awareness.'

**Llibelula:** 'I'll assume that's a request and not an order; If I were you, I wouldn't forget that you're here because we accepted you.'

Thanos smiles at her apparent warning and turns back to his work as he replies;

**Thanos:** 'It would best serve our purpose if you sent in some hollow, arrancar.'

He doesn't hear her leave but knows that she is gone. He frowns to himself as he loathes the idea that he has to "play nice" with these inferior beings for a while longer. He gets up from his station and once again walks to an open space so that he can practice his portal manipulation. He holds out his large hand and concentrates on the foreign energies of this world. He feels the power flow through his hand, and a seam in space slices the air in front of him as he begins to open his own garganta. The hole in space becomes wider the longer he concentrates, and the titan can see the swirling black nothingness that he's walked through on numerous occasions. After a few more seconds of making sure that the portal is secure, the eternal takes a step into the pitch. He feels the nothingness begin to solidify under his foot, but then he withdraws his boot from the garganta as he closes the hole. He clenches his fist in triumph as he takes assesment of his success. The next day he hears of how the hollow he sent in almost devoured the one called Wolverine if it hadn't been for a last minute save bye a few soul reapers. He ponders this for a moment as he puts together several other plans in his head. Finally, he meets with his allies once more to discuss his next move.

**Thanos:** 'The beings that Dr. Strange has gathered in an attempt to stop me are all skilled in teamwork. I have no doubt that by now he has made soul society's captain's aware of my abilities and is plotting ways to defeat me. They will fail of course, as they have no idea of the level of power I have obtained since coming here.'

**Llibelula:** 'Power that we've helped you gain, alien.'

Thanos glares at the small female before continuing.

**Thanos:** 'Yes; remember that you will be rewarded too with the complete distruction of soul society. Our pact benefits all involved.'

She folds her arms as she looks away from the titan.

**Thanos:** 'I will go shortly and reveal myself to the heroes and soul reapers. I want to test their abilities personally and see where they stand as a group. Llibelula; I require your set of skills for the next stage of my plan. I need you to capture the mutant telepath, Psylocke, and bring her back to me. However, do not complete this until I have come back from testing my opponents, and stay concealed for as long as possible. The less they know about the two of you the better.'

**Rrurikio: **'I feel it would be better if I go on this mission. Llibelula despises that place; I will capture her with ease.'

**Thanos: **'I am well aware of your strength Rrurikio, but the reason I need her to do this is because of her talent to block my telepathic probes. I calculate that she is also immune to the mutant's abilities as well.'

Llibelula sighs as she puts a hand on the small of her mate's back.

**Llibelula: **'I will do what you want, Thanos, but I'm tired of all this work. When the time is right, Rrurikio and I'll be on the front lines; then you'll see our true strength.'

Thanos nods his head at her conviction and then leaves the two so that he can prepare for his trip to soul society. He spends the whole next day training and honing his control over opening and closing a garganta. The titan makes several practice attempts before opening the rift in space for a final time. He stares into the void of chaotic energy and finally steps into the abyss. Thanos smiles as he feels his feet connect with solid ground as he controls the particals around his body. He doesn't have a set destination planned as he continues moving forward. He knows that wherever he comes out at, Dr. Strange will sense him. If he doesn't, the titan has no reservations about making enough noise to get his enemy's attenion! He walks for what seems like hours, and finally he stops as he puts out his hand to open the other side of the portal. His eyes take little time to adjust to the brightly lit sky of soul society as he steps foot in the place he has only seen one other time. The eternal smiles as he can't wait to test his powers out on his opponents.

**Editor's Notes: Hey all. These past few months have wreaked havoc on me and my time for writing. A lot have things have happened and I'm sorry for my hiatus. I'm still writing and I hope that the next chapter won't take as long. I have, in no way, abandoned this story or my passion for it. Please be patient and continue to bare with me :) I promise to do my best in updating regularily from now on. You all are the best!**

**Happy Reading!**


	26. Perception

**Editor's Notes: Just a reminder; I do not own any of the characters herein. Marvel and Bleach are owned by their respective companies. Also, the following chapters may contain minor spoilers to those who do not follow Bleach regularly; for that I apologize. ENJOY!**

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Perception**

_**The present.**_

Night falls on soul society after a long day of training for all of the heroes. Dr. Strange sits Indian-style as he meditates on the many kidou spells he has learned over the course of the day. In his trance, the mystic smiles at how easily it was to work with Kisuke Urahara, and how smooth the training went. As he finishes his meditation, Dr. Strange reaches out with his magick and locates each one of his companions. The sorcerer first looks in on the man most know as Wolverine. He is laying on a clay-shingled roof with his hands clasped behind his head, looking up at the stars. The mystic next visits the thunderer; also known as Thor, the Norse god of thunder. He is kneeling on top of a secluded plateau with his eyes closed and his powerful hammer resting on the ground in front of him. A small storm rolls overhead as the blonde sits there unmoving, and Dr. Strange can sense that he is within himself entirely. He shifts his visions to the largest of his companions; Hulk. The green goliath is sitting in, what seems like to him, a small room with three soul reapers. There are several jugs of sake laying about and the men are flush from their alcohol consumption. From what Stephen knows, these men are known as Ikkaku Madarame, Renji Abarai and Tetsuzaemon Iba. Dr. Strange recalls that these are the same men that Hulk had left with after he and Psylocke performed the psychic strengthening of Hulk's mind. As he leaves the scene, the mystic thinks back on his female mutant's time since she has arrived. He smiles, because out of the five of them, she has made the strongest bond so far it would seem. With that in mind, he slowly comes back out of his trance without checking in on the female. Even though he could easily be privy to her actions, he chooses to let her have her privacy. He wraps his cloak around him as he floats back to Sei Rei Tei.

If anyone were to ask Logan what he was doing on top of a roof looking up at the stars, the last answer he'd give would be reflecting on recent events; however, that's just what he's doing. Over his long life, the hairy mutant has been witness to a whole lot of crazy things; he's been flung foward in time, backward in time and has been to many different dimensions. He finds this one a little closer to home, and he smirks as he realizes that he hopes he comes here when he finally calls it quits. With that, he sits up, stretches his neck and then hops down from the shingled roof with barely a sound from his three hundred pound frame. The night is fairly quiet but he can still hear the occasional soul reaper as they walk around the many walled corridors of Sei Rei Tei. He starts to walk in no particular direction and after a few minutes of walking, he finds himself in the fifth division's section. He feels a small shiver run down his Adamantium-laced spine as he continues to walk through the depressingly still grounds. All of a sudden he gets a scent of something out of place, and he quickly flash steps to keep up with the scent. He comes to a stop near one of the buildings that houses the sleeping quarters for the soul reapers of squad five. He spots five reapers talking amongst themselves near an illuminated doorway. Wolverine hugs a near-by wall as he goes into stealth mode to avoid unwanted detection. He hears their conversation with ease due to his enhanced senses and as he listens, he sniffs the air once more. Five soul reaper scents mixed with something else; Wolverine can't exactly put his finger on what the strange odor is. The backs of his hands itch as he thinks about just barging in and finding out what these guys are doing by force, but he closes his eyes and grits his teeth as he realizes that this isn't his world. So instead, the Canucklehead just listens until he gets an oppurtunity to move in.

**soul reaper:** 'Hey Koga, are you alright? I mean you haven't asked about Lieutenant Hinamori in a few days.'

Wolverine watches as the five men interact. The one that just spoke is scruffy and tall, with blonde hair. The soul reaper that is asked the question is shorter with black shaggy hair and his ear stud reflects the dim light of the room. Before the soul reaper can answer the question, one of the others speaks up.

**soul reaper:** 'Yeah, I remember back in the academy, you talked about how cute she is and that you didn't want to be in any other squad besides the fifth because of "Hinamori-chan"!'

This soul reaper has a slightly deeper voice to go along with his wider girth. As he speaks, he rubs his bulbous belly. The other two that are with these three don't say much but snicker at the two taunting the peirced soul reaper. The reaper with the stud in his ear rubs his arm with his other hand uncomfortably before answering.

**studded soul reaper:** 'Uh, well, I've just been a little busy that's all. I mean, I'll visit her in a couple of days OK?'

The four around him laugh at his apparent embarrassment, but Wolverine sees it differently; his heart beat is erradic and he's sweating from more than just embarrassment. The mutant shakes his head as he's had enough of this sneaking around. He peels himself off of the wall and makes his way towards the five men. The nervous reaper shifts his eyes to the newcomer and quickly looks away. This catches the robust man's attention as he turns to face the much smaller mutant.

**tubby soul reaper: **'Huh? Who're you? You're not from our squad; you're one of those humans aren't you?'

Wolverine walks right up to the group and looks each one of them in the eye before speaking.

**Wolverine:** 'The name's Wolverine, bub, and I don't like the way somethin' smells 'round here.'

The tall blonde smirks as he eyes his heavy companion. The larger man scowls as he bends his head down to smell his armpit.

**tubby soul reaper: **'You're pretty rude for someone so small, little man. I don't care if you have killed hundreds of hollow, no one talks to me that way.'

The man takes a step forward and bumps into Logan with his gut; the force of the assault makes the scrapper take a step back. Logan looks down for a second and then smiles as he looks back up at the soul reaper.

**Wolverine:** 'I don't think ya wanna start writin' checks yer ass can't catch, lardo. I'm not here ta scrap, I'm just tryin' ta figure out what ain't kosher 'round here; got me?'

**blonde soul reaper:** '"Kosher"? The only thing that smells around here is you pal. The five of us've known each other a while now, so don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong.'

The others laugh at the tall man's words as the large soul reaper attempts to bump Logan again. This time, however, Logan flash steps and dissapears before the men's eyes and he reappears grappled on the man's back with his right hand out in front of the chubby one's face. Logan growls into the reaper's ear as he slowly unsheathes his claws.

**Wolverine:** 'If'n I were ya bub, I'd crawl back inta the hole ya came out of before I slice ya up and make a sleepin' bag outta yer carcass.'

The four others gasp in awe and disbelief at the speed of the little man, and as Logan front flips off of the soul reaper's back and lands in front of him, they all retreat hastily into the lighted room and slam the door! Wolverine rises out of his crouch and shakes his head as he thinks to himself. _Damn it! That's not exactly what I wanted ta do there. Forget it, I'm goin' ta bed... _The short scrapper roughly shoves his thumbs into his obi and vanishes.

Thor steps foot once again into his inner world full of the amalgam of towering skyscrapers and Asgardian beauty. Lightning ripples overhead and the thunderer smiles as he looks up into the overcast skies. Within moments, Thor turns around as he hears a new, yet familiar voice call out to him from the distance.

**Mjolnir: **'Ah it's good to see you again, son of Odin! What do I owe this pleasure to?'

**Thor:** 'Tis good to see thou as well, mighty Hammer; mine mind doth dwell on the soul reaper known as Byakuya Kuchiki.'

The personofication of the thunder god's hammer strokes his thick chin as he contemplates his master's words.

**Mjolnir:** 'He's a proud warrior, and strong from what I've seen.'

He holds out his slightly larger version of Thor's hammer and points it at a near-by out-cropping of rock. Soon the head of the stone-like weapon glows with yellow energy and the brown-haired man unleashes a torrent of power that he had learned from the sixth captain. The kidou streaks forward and completely levels the stone with ease! Thor nods at the display and looks back to his partner.

**Thor:** 'I doth not protest his strength, Mjolnir; it be his very manner of self pride that Odin's Son disagrees with.'

**Mjolnir:** 'Old friend, I think you know a thing or two about self pride as well. Besides, when I obsorbed his attacks, I somehow got an idea of the man he is; he carries many heavy burdens around with him. Lost love, pressures of being a noble, not to mention the duties and responsibilities of being a captain of the thirteen court gaurd squads.'

The god of thunder frowns at his hammer's words.

**Thor: **'Aye, I am proud, but I also knowest the value of friendship; e'en the mighty Thor canst vanquish Thanos by mineself. T'wud put mine mind at ease if he would accept our aid.'

**Mjolnir: **'I wouldn't give up on him just yet, friend; you will need his abilities for when Thanos strikes again.'

**Thor:** 'Thou art right...'

Thor trails off and begins to walk to a near-by stream where he kneels down and takes a drink from the crystal clear waters. Mjolnir watches him and tilts his head to the side and smirks. He props his longer-handled hammer over his shoulder as he speaks.

**Mjolnir:** 'While you're here, would you care to challenge me in a friendly scrimmage?'

Thor raises his head at this and smiles as well.

**Thor:** 'T'wud be an honor to do battle with thee.'

The god of thunder takes out his own hammer that rests at his side as he takes up a defensive position. The blonde god motions for his hammer to start, and Mjolnir enthusiasticaly accepts the request. The brown-haired embodiment spins his hammer, steadily increasing its momentum. Blue and yellow lightning begins to ripple around the head and he lunges at his master with incredible speed! Thor's blue eyes shine bright as he meets his sparring partner head on with his own, shorter, hammer. The two weapons collide in mid-swing and a tremendous thunder-clap rings throughout Thor's inner world!

Hulk picks up the last jug of sake and puts it to his lips. He downs the alchohol in only a few large gulps and sets the bottle down on the table, making the table wobble from the impact. His three drinking buddies are competely passed out from the night's continuous betting on who could drink more. The jade giant shakes his head at how things got this way. After the four of them had finished their fight and everyone had stopped laughing at Renji's inability to produce proper kidou, the soul reapers and Hulk made their way back to the rukon district where the three men led Hulk to a small bar. Like with the previous battle, the game started out as to who could out-drink the others. It soon turned into a three-on-one affair to see if they could drink the green goliath under the table. He smirks at his victory and gets up to half of his height as the ceiling is too low for him to extend himself fully. He lumbers out into the night and stretches his muscled back after the long period of sitting. He loudly pops his neck and knuckles and then moves off in search of a place to sleep.

The next morning Dr. Strange wakes to a light tapping on his quarter's door. He gets up and magickaly manipulates the molecules of his sleeping attire into his mystical garmets before sliding the door open. To his shock, he sees the soul reaper Shuuhei Hisagi bowed slightly in front of him.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Mr. Hisagi, what are you doing here?'

Hisagi raises his head before answering.

**Shuuhei:** 'Forgive me for disturbing you, Stephen-san, but I was wondering if you've seen Betsy anywhere? I haven't seen her since before I woke yesterday morning.'

The mystic strokes his well-groomed gotee as he obsorbs the lieutenant of the ninth squad's words.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I am sorry son, the last time that I saw Psylocke was after we were finished with our meeting with Hulk. That was mid-morning yesterday, and then as I was leaving, she was heading back to find you. She never met up with you?'

**Shuuhei:** 'No; I looked for her yesterday, but I thought she was with her friends, so I didn't think much of her being away.'

**Dr. Strange: **'This is quite alarming; wait one moment while I find her presence.'

The soul reaper stands in the threshold of the building while the sorcerer searches for his missing teammate. He moves out of his mind and then up and away from the walls of Sei Rei Tei. At the speed of thought, he races over the calm streets of the first districts of Rukon, and then in a blink of an eye, he passes over the dillapidated buildings and slums of the outer reaches of the districts. With not a trace of the female mutant's presence anywhere, the mystic broadens his search instantly to the plains and fields of this world. He scans the mountains and the deserts, and peers into the valleys and oceans without any luck in finding his teammate. Within seconds, he comes back to his bady and looks into the eager eyes of the soul reaper before him.

**Dr. Strange:** 'She is... gone. There is not a single trace of her presence anywhere in this world. Shuuhei; come with me while I gather the others.'

The lieutenant nods his head and follows Stephen as they move to find the other heroes. The two first come across Wolverine who is already up doing crunches. As they approach, the hairsuit mutant finishes one more crunch and rolls backwards in one swift movement and starts in on doing push-ups. In between his workout, he calls out to the mystic and his companion.

**Wolverine:** 'Sure is early fer a house call ain't it, doc?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Logan, Betsy has gone missing.'

The mutant haults his movements instantly and stands up to his full height of 5'3". He eyes the lieutenant of the ninth squad before looking up at the sorcerer.

**Wolverine:** 'How does a body go missin' in a land o' souls? Did ya check everywhere? What 'bout that Mayuri guy? I'm gonna carve him a new one if he's done anythin' to her!'

**Dr. Strange: **'Wolverine; she is no longer anywhere that I can reach her. I am almost certain that Thanos has something to do with her dissapearance.'

**Wolverine:** 'Are ya sure? If he was behind this, wouldn't ya've been able ta sense him?'

**Dr. Strange: **'When I originally created my detection aura around this place, I set it to his make-up only. Since I did not detect him, I will assume that something elese abducted our ally.'

Wolverine closes his eyes and lets out a deep sigh to steady himself. Once the red haze clears from his vision, he grabs his kimono top that is laying over a low-hanging branch and starts to move off away from the other two men.

**Shuuhei:** 'Logan-san! Where are you going?'

Without looking back at the speaker, Logan replys;

**Wolverine: **'Ya two can do whatever ya want; I'm gonna look fer Psylocke on my own.'

Shuuhei looks at the sorcerer supreme with questions in his eyes. Stephen just shakes his head and says;

**Dr. Strange: **'Sometimes I forget who I am dealing with when I bring that one along on missions of the utmost importance. Lieutenant, that is Wolverine for you; he is an extremely valuable ally and a great friend. However, just do not expect him to follow orders.'

**Shuuhei:** 'Is it wise for him to go off alone like that?'

**Dr. Strange: **'With my ability to sense Betsy hindered, Logan's senses are our only hope of finding her last known location. Come; we need to gather the others first, and then we will worry about our feral friend.'

The soul reaper and mystic set off once again in search of Hulk and Thor. After a bit of walking, they find the jade giant scratching his enormous back on a very old tree. The thick trunk of the elder wood sways from the small force that Hulk exerts upon it. He looks down at the two people infront of him.

**Hulk:** 'Why do you look like you've lost something?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'That is precisely what has happened; but instead of something, we have lost someone. That someone being Psylocke.'

Hulk folds his muscular arms across his thick chest and refocuses.

**Hulk: **'Well let's go; why're we standing around here for?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I wanted to notify the rest of the team to our situation. Wolverine has already begun the search for her on his own.'

**Hulk:** 'Figures; that guy always goes off half-cocked.'

Despite the circumstances, Stephen has to surpress a smile at how quickly the green goliath judges his long-time rival. Dr. Strange can remember a few times where Hulk was in Logan's position and how he had extreme difficulty adhering to authority.

**Hulk:** 'Well let's get this thing started; where's goldilocks?'

**Dr. Strange: **'He is where he was last night; I have yet to be able to communicate with him, but we shall go to him now.'

The group of three now leave to find the Norse god of thunder. Dr. Strange again reaches out with his mind as they walk to get a better feel for Thor's whereabouts. He is where the mystic left him last night, and he seems to still be in some form of meditation. Stephen probes a bit harder to give the thunderer a heads up on what is going on, but he is met with a form of resistance the likes of which Strange has not felt before! Slightly shaken, the sorcerer treads on without a word until Hisagi looks over to him, wondering why he faltered.

**Shuuhei:** 'Is everything alright?'

**Dr. Strange: **'Yes, of course; I was just locating Thor when something resisted me.'

Stephen knows that this troubles the soul reaper a little but either out of respect or just the situation, the lieutenant says nothing. As they make their way over a hill, Hulk spots the blonde warrior first.

**Hulk: **'There he is; what's he doing on the ground?'

The three approach the god cautiously; not wanting to desturb him. After a minute of strained silence, Hulk walks up to his companion's kneeling frame and waves his large green hand in front of his face. The god doesn't even flinch. Hulk scratches his head, and before anything else can be done to break the man's concentration, Shuuhei speaks up.

**Shuuhei: **'Your friend looks like he's in a deep meditation we soul reapers call "Jinzen". It's how we commune with our zanpakutou spirits. How Thor-san is doing this, I don't know.'

Wolverine smiles wide as he races over the ground with his amazing new speed. No scent or detail is lost to him while he flash steps around Sei Rei Tei. Shortly, he comes to the spot where Dr. Strange and Psylocke were working to shield their gamma-erradiated partner. He stops and crouches low to the ground, breathing in deeply through his nose. Even though it's been a while, Logan's keen sense of smell detects Betsy's unique scent with little effort; it would be easier if he didn't have to siff through Hulk's odor as well. He quickly picks up her trail and follows it west, back towards the barracks of the ninth squad.

**Wolverine:** 'So she was tryin' ta get back ta lover boy.'

He continues to walk down a hill until he comes to a plain of wind-swept grass and trees peppering the area. He stops abruptly as he catches a distinct, but unfamiliar scent near-by! He follows the odor behind a large tree and then he looks down to a spot near the roots of the tree. There he finds a worn-down spot with many broken twigs and crushed leaves. He kneels down and takes a handful of the twigs, leaves and earth and puts it up to his nose to smell. He frowns and crunches up the evidence in his hand as he gets back to his feet. As the mutant goes to leave to get Dr. Strange, he catches another scent; this one he's become very familiar with! He turns his head in the direction of the scent, and standing in a tree fifty yards away, is the captain of the second squad; Soifon. She is halfway up the tree, leaning against the bark of the trunk with her arms folded and her twin braids blowing in the breeze. Before leaving the tree, she calls down to Logan;

**Soifon:** 'Soul society has advanced greatly in the research of indoor plumbing, Logan.'

She disappears and then touches down softly infront of the mutant with a rare smirk upon her face.

**Soifon:** 'I've only called you a dog for your disrespect of Yoruichi-sama, not because I think you're an animal, but now I'm starting to have reservations.'

**Wolverine:** 'I wasn't out here usin' the bathroom, darlin', I was tryin' ta locate our teammate Psylocke.'

**Soifon:** 'The female with purple hair? What's happened to her?'

**Wolverine:** 'That's what I aim ta find out. Shuuhei said she's been missin' since mid yesterday; that's when all o' us started our trainin' I think. The way it looks right now is that Thanos has somethin' ta do with this.'

**Soifon:** 'What have you found to support your theory?'

**Wolverine:** 'Fer starters, this whole area reeks o' somethin'. There's evidence that someone was here about the same time as Betsy, and that whoever took her, didn't even let the girl put up a fight.'

**Soifon:** 'I see; I'm detecting slight traces of spiritual pressure, but I'm sure whoever did this is very good at masking their pressence. This signature is one I've never felt before, but I can almost guarantee that it's hollow in nature. I'm going to report this to the head captain at once. Go and tell your friends what you've found and I'll find you when Yamamoto has made his descision.'

**Wolverine:** 'I don't got all day, Soi-chan, so don't keep me waitin'.'

The second captain closes her eyes at his words and moves instantly to within inches of his scruffy face.

**Soifon:** 'Don't... ever call me "Soi-chan" again. I won't casterate you because you didn't know, but that is an unforgivable offense.'

She playfully pats his cheek before disappearing in a swirl of grass and leaves. He rubs his cheek and smiles before shaking the image of the small captain out of his head. He thinks to Dr. Strange before leaving; _hey doc, I ran inta Soifon while I was lookin' 'round fer Psylocke. We think she's been taken by a powerful hollow and Soi's gone back ta talk it over with old man Yamamoto. Where are ya so I can talk ta ya face ta face? _Dr. Strange's reply comes in the form of a rippling portal of energy and Logan rolls his eyes at the display.

**Wolverine: **'Magick.'

He steps through the swirling energies and in the next moment, he is standing next to Hulk who has his arms folded in annoyance at what he's looking at. Wolverine sees Thor kneeling on the ground in a trance-like state.

**Dr. Strange:** 'It is good to have you back Logan. Thor is somehow communing with Mjolnir in his inner world.'

**Wolverine:** 'What? It's just a hammer right? How the hell do ya do that?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'According to our friend Shuuhei Hisagi, Thor has learned to speak with the spirit of his hammer and it is impossible to force him out of this "Jinzen".'

**Wolverine:** '"Blade zen"? It's a flippin' hammer fer cryin' out loud!'

Dr. Strange puts a reassuring, gloved hand on the smaller mutant's shoulder as he speaks.

**Dr. Strange: **'Have patience my friend; we will have some answers when the head captain makes his descision, and by that time, Thor will hopefully have come out of his meditation.'

Before anything else can be said about the situation, Logan stiffens and jerks his head up and to his right.

**Wolverine: **'Hey, ya guys hear that?'

**Hulk:** 'What're you talking about?'

**Wolverine:** 'Nevermind; I'm gonna go check it out.'

Dr. Strange puts up his hand to stop the mutant, but before he can say anything, Logan vanishes before their eyes!

**Hulk:** 'What the? Where'd he go?'

**Shuuhei:** 'That's shunpo; you know it as "flash step".'

**Dr. Strange:** 'It appears that our friend has been training hard as well.'

**Hulk:** 'Show off.'

Logan comes to a stop outside of the Rukon district, in a flat, wind-blown area. A forested area hugs the dry land fifty yards away. His keen eyes scan the top of the trees and sees something that he never thought he'd see in this world. As he looks on in disbelief, the large trees are toppled and crunched under foot by two, one-hundred foot tall sentinals! Wolverine snarls in response to the purple and blue-hued constructs as his mind races to find an answer to why mutant hunters would be in a place like soul society. Their heads mechanically swivel in unison as they lock their glowing crimson eyes on his position.

**Sentinel 1: **'MUTANT DESIGNATE: WOLVERINE SIGHTED; INITIATE CONTAINMENT PARAMETERS.'

**Wolverine:** 'Yer gonna have ta do a lot more than just "contain" me, ya over grown trash cans!'

The mutant avoids a red energy blast by flash stepping out of harm's way as the beam destroys the ground where he was just standing! He closes the distane between him and his attackers in a blink of an eye, and then races up one of the sentinel's legs, slashing at the construct with his claws! Wolverine makes his way to its waist and carves a tunnel through its mid-section! He comes out of the sentinel's lower back, draped in wires and covered in mechanical fluids. He continues to scale the behemoth until he makes it to its neck, where he lets out a roar of rage, and with just four fast swipes of his unbreakable claws, severs the construct's head! The feral scrapper rides the detached head to the ground where it crashes in a plume of smoke and sparks, creating a large crater! Logan steps out of the smoke and debris, dusting off his hands and wiping dried blood away from above his left eye.

**Sentinel 2:** 'DEFENSIVE PARAMETERS BREACHED; SWITCHING FROM CONTAINMENT TO ANNIHILATION MODE.'

**Wolverine:** 'Here we go again.'

He deftly rolls out of the way of the sentinel's gigantic boot as it sends tremors throughout the area when it connects with the earth! Wolverine regains his footing and attempts the same strategy that had worked on the construct's partner. He gets half-way up the machine's thigh before he's hit with thirty-five thousand volts of electricity from the sentinel's improved defenses! Logan flies off the mutant hunter with a tail of black smoke trailing his charred, but healing body. The scrapper rolls to a stop thirty yards away and slowly picks his smoking body off of the ground. He coughs; blood and burnt pieces of his own innards are spewed from his mouth! He wipes the spittle from his dry lips as he hoarsely rasps;

**Wolverine:** 'Shit!'

He rips off his singed and smoking kimono top as he gets to his feet. The sentinel lunges in with a huge robotic hand as it tries to capture the healing mutant in its grasp. Wolverine flash steps out of reach and lands on the robot's arm. This time, he doesn't stay around as the electrified skin is activated; he just disappears to reappear at the shoulder joint of the sentintel. He uses his gathered momentum to slice through the armored skin of the construct in one blow! The arm falls to the ground in bevy of sparks and then explodes.

**Sentinel 2:** 'THIS UNIT HAS SUSTAINED IRREPAIRABLE DAMAGE TO LEFT EXTREMITY; INNITIATING SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE. 10. 9. -'

**Wolverine:** 'Ah hell.'

Meanwhile, Thor is still silent as he remains in his meditative state. Dr. Strange sits Indian-style and hovers above the ground as he waits. The lieutenant of the ninth squad begins to pace and Stephen knows it's because he feels powerless at the moment. Hulk yawns and then looks over at the floating mystic.

**Hulk: **'I'm done waiting; I'm gonna see if the little man needs help.'

With that, he bends his extremly powerful legs and rockets off into the air; seconds later, he's gone. Hulk doesn't really care what the Canucklehead is doing at the moment, he just couldn't stand to wait around while the god of thunder took his time playing with his hammer. After gravity takes control of Hulk's enormous frame once more, he begins to descend to the rocky earth below. Instead of causing a huge crater by landing with all of his weight, he obsorbs most of the initial force by coiling his legs and hopping a few times to slow his momentum. Only seconds later, he looks up in surprise when he hears a bomb like explosion a thousand feet away and then sees a plume of dust and debris rise into the air!

**Hulk:** 'What's going on?'

Hulk doesn't have to wait long to see what caused the devestation. As the smoke and dust clears, a large shadow can be seen emerging from the enormous crater that was just made. Annoyed by the time it's taking to reveal the figure, Hulk draws back his hands and brings them together, creating a small arc of wind that easily blows the remaing particles away. Hulk's jade eyes look on in shock as he witnesses who the being is walking out of the hole! His hair is the color of coal and is short and wild. His eyes are yellow, and almost seem to radiate with power as he locks eyes with the jade giant. He is as tall and muscular as Hulk and his skin is blood red. A low rumble builds in the green goliath's chest;

**Hulk: **'Ross.'

Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross is one of Hulk's oldest and most tireless persuers. This "red Hulk" is his latest attempt to destroy the jade giant.

**Hulk:** 'I wanna know how you got here. Now.'

The red, muscle-bound being just glares and says nothing as he takes one large step forward. That step is enough to make Hulk act, as he rushes his opponent! Having sparred with a few soul reapers while he's been here, the green goliath has become more agile and he proves this by quickly avoiding a tremendous right hook by his red double! Hulk retaliates by kneeing Ross hard in the abdomen; lifting him off his feet with the force of the blow! He follows the attack up with an earth-shattering right hook of his own, which sends the crimson behemoth staggering backward several yards. Smiling from the rush of battle, Hulk asks;

**Hulk:** 'What's the matter, "Thad"? You're not your usual talkative self.'

Hulk's enemy's answer comes back as a roar of anger. As he breathes in and out, waves of heat ripple off of his large frame. He reaches down and digs his thick fingers into the ground and rips up a Volkswagen-sized chunk of earth and hurls it at his advesary with trememdous force! Hulk answers the assault by drawing back his huge fist and punching the projectile, shattering the boulder into tiny pebbles! He immediately follows that up by stomping the ground, causing a tremmor under the crimson-hued monster's feet. Thunderbolt leaps into the air to avoid the uneven footing, only to be met in mid-air by the jade giant! Hulk drives his massive shoulder into the solarplexus of the knockoff, sending both warriors further into the air. The green goliath creates a little separation by pushing off the muscled chest of red Hulk, and then he interlaces his large hands and comes down hard with an overhead strike, sending his opponent crashing to the ground with earthquake-like force! Hulk lands shortly after and just glares at the dust rising out of the crater that his opponent is in.

**Hulk:** 'Get up.'

As Wolverine and Hulk battle their respective foes, Thor finishes his scrimmage with Mjolnir. The actual time the thunderer spent in his inner world was nearly ten hours, but to him it seems like only an hour! He clasps hands with his hammer as he sits down on a rocky outcropping, laying his weapon down on the thick grass. He looks up at Mjolnir who is looking to the side and off into the distance.

**Thor:** 'Doth something trouble you, mighty hammer?'

**Mjolnir:** '... The rumblings of the outside are great.'

**Thor:** 'Hath something happened since I've been here?'

**Mjolnir:** 'I cannot say for certain; all that I know is that you all could possibly fall by one of your own. You must go now to help your friends.'

Thor's eyes go wide with this crypted revelation. He takes a deep contemplative breath as he closes his blue eyes. When he opens them again he is back in soul society surrounded by the lieutenant of the ninth squad and his long-time ally Dr. Strange. He gets up from his kneeled position and looks over at the mystic who his levitating with his eyes closed. Thor calmly calls out to Stephen;

**Thor: **'Great sorcerer, canst thou hear mine voice?'

The mystic slowly opens his eyes and touches his feet to the ground.

**Dr. Strange: **'I am glad you are back, Thor. Do you have news on what has happened to Betsy?'

Thor tilts his head at the question as he looks at his friend.

**Thor:** 'What hath transpired since I've been gone?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'We believe our ally has been abducted by Thanos. Wolverine and Hulk have left to deal with this in their own way.'

The god of thunder looks down and softly repeats what he was told while in his inner world.

**Thor:** '"We will fall by one of our own"... Stephen; canst thou show me where our comrades art now?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Yes; I have been monitoring them while I waited for you.'

He motions with his hand and an illusion appears before the three. Wolverine is battling a very large hollow and Hulk is in his own conflict with a large, muscular hollow. Shuuhei's eyes go wide as he sees the hollow Logan is fighting.

**Shuuhei: **'That's not a normal hollow; it is known as a Menos Grande and it's extremely powerful! I'm going to help him.'

He vanishes before either man can protest.

**Thor:** 'We must make haste as well, good sorcerer. Send me to Hulk; I wilt aid him this day.'

Dr. Strange nods and opens a portal for Thor to step through.

Hulk watches as the red-hued behemoth rises to his feet. The green goliath readies himself for the next round as Ross charges at him with all of his speed! The heat enraged double smashes Hulk hard in the face with a big, meaty fist! Red Hulk follows it up with a hard knee to the stomach, making spittle fly out of Hulk's mouth. He wraps his large, strong hands around the jade giant's neck and grapples him to the ground, creating a small tremor as Hulk's massive back smashes into the earth! The heat that radiates off of the red Hulk's hands starts to dry out and then burn Hulk's skin as Ross continues to choke the life out of Hulk! Suddenly, as Hulk looks up through oxygen depraved eyes, he sees lightning ripple overhead. All of a sudden, Hulk feels electricity run through his body and into the ground beneath him. The large, red hands go limp and Hulk immediately kicks the monster away from him! As he gets to his feet, Hulk looks over to see Thor touching down several feet from him, holding his hammer out in front of him. Hulk turns his head back to where his advesary landed and as he looks at his fallen foe, the jade giant has to blink and shake his large head to clear the fuzzy, rippling affect that surrounds his nemesis.

**Hulk:** 'What's goin' on?'

He looks again and sees a large muscular hollow evaporating into nothing right where "Thunderbolt" was!

**Thor: **'Mine appologies, jade one; if I hath not acted, yon hollow wouldst have done e'en more damage.'

**Hulk: **'Where'd that hollow come from? I was fightin' it out with Ross right before you hit me with that lightning of yours!'

**Thor:** 'Nay, you hath been battling that creature from the beginning. Mjolnir's lightning meant only to free you from your halucination.'

**Hulk:** 'Free me? I don't know what's going on, but I thought something about him being here was off...'

Just then, Dr. Strange steps out of thin air to explain things further to their green-hued ally.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Hulk; it appears that what you thought you were experiencing and what was actually occuring were indeed two different things. Thanos has formidal psychic talents, but to do something like this would require great skill; and some help.'

**Hulk:** 'What're you sayin' Strange?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'We need to find Wolverine and then meet with the head captain to formulate a plan. I beleive that Psylocke was, indeed, abducted and now Thanos has somehow found a way to manipulate her into attacking us.'

Thor closes his eyes in agreement and upon hearing this, Hulk cracks his knuckles in preparation for his next battle with Thanos.

Meanwhile, Wolverine runs as fast as he can, due to his still healing legs, away from the soon to explode sentinel.

**Sentinel 2:** '5... 4... 3...'

As Logan jumps behind a large boulder, he sees Shuuhei flash step in out of the corner of his eye.

**Wolverine:** 'Are ya crazy? Get down before that sentinel blows ya half way ta kingdom come!'

Hisagi ignores the feral mutant and flash steps near the robot's head where Wolverine can hear him unleash his zanpakutou.

**Shuuhei:** 'Reap, Kazeshini.'

Logan peaks out from behind his bunker just in time to see two double scickles arch around the sentinel's head as Shuuhei pulls hard, and in one swift motion, decapitates the construct! Instead of exploding like the machine had warned, it instead dissolves into nothing right before Logan's eyes! The mutant, who is now healed, gets up and runs over to where the lieutenant of the ninth squad just laid waste to his enemy.

**Wolverine:** 'Wait a minute! Ya weren't at all surprised by what ya saw, so ya must've known it was a hollow from the start. What gives?'

**Shuuhei:** 'You didn't know you were fighting a hollow this entire time?'

**Wolverine:** 'Hell no; ta me, I was takin' on two of my world's mutant hunters, called "sentinels".'

Just then, two more soul reapers enter the area with their soul cutters drawn, ready for battle. Wolverine looks over and spots the tenth squad's lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto and the lieutenant of the second squad, Marechiyo Omaeda. They touch down and look around frantically for an unseen enemy.

**Rangiku:** 'Oh poo! I get a Hell Butterfly from my captain to go help Wolverine and it looks like Shuuhei-kun beat me here!'

**Omaeda:** 'Ha! I sensed a Menos Grande around this area, so that's why I came. If I'd known it was ta help that guy, I wouldn't have gotten outta bed!'

**Shuuhei:** 'Matsumoto-san, Omaeda-san; Logan-san already took one Menos out before I got here. He was somehow being manipulated into thinking it was something elese.'

The second lieutenant picks at his ear before speaking.

**Omaeda:** 'That's just like that little man; tryin' ta impress Captain Soifon. I won't be outdone by you; from now on, you're my rival!'

He points a chubby figure at Logan for emphasis.

**Wolverine:** '"Rival"? Whatever.'

Before anything else can happen, a portal opens behind Hisagi and Logan, and the other three heroes step out of it. Upon seeing Thor, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed female puts Haineko back into her sheath and runs over to the statuesque god of thunder. She playfully elbows him in his side and whispers something into his ear. With enhanced hearing, it's easy for Logan to pick up on what the soul reaper said.

**Rangiku:** 'Too bad you weren't there when I woke up yesterday. We could've had fun.'

Wolverine rubs the back of his neck and turns to look at Dr. Strange.

**Wolverine:** 'I guess I don't need ta tell ya that somethin' wierd's goin' on 'round here.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'No Logan, you do not. Let us hurry to the head captain so he can help us with this new development.'

The heroes and soul reapers leave the battle grounds together to make their way to the captain's meeting room. As they walk up the covered walkway to the meeting room, the soul reapers break off and wait just before the two large doors. As Stephen goes to open the door to enter, a black cat jumps down from the roof and sits before the sorcerer; blocking his path. Strange looks down and steps back as the feline begins to lick its paw.

**Yoruichi:** 'I wouldn't go in just yet, if I were you.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Yoruichi, time is of the essence; we must speak with Genryusai immediately.'

**Yoruichi:** 'They're almost done; I won't stop you, but after you talk to him, come see me at Soifon's office.'

With that, she gets up and stretches her back and bounds away. Logan watches her leave and then turns back to the doors. He moves past the mystic and roughly pushes the doors open. The noise makes the nine captains who are standing on either side of the room stiffen and look at the rough, shirtless newcomer. Yamamoto just scowls at the interruption, but doesn't say anything.

**Shunsui:** 'Logan what're you doing?'

**Mayuri:** 'What a bothersome pest; if I would be allowed to dissect him-'

The twelfth captain is silenced by the first captain's tapping of his walking stick on the ground.

**Yamamoto: **'Though you are an ally, captain meetings are reserved for soul reapers only unless otherwise invited. State your business or begone!'

Before Wolverine can say anything, Dr. Strange glides past him and speaks up.

**Dr. Strange: **'Head-Captain Yamamoto, I appologize for our intrusion, but we require your help in locating our missing teammate.'

**Yamamoto:** 'The female ninja. She is no longer in soul society, so there is only one place she can be.'

The captain of the fourth squad speaks up at this.

**Unohana:** 'You don't mean Hueco Mundo?'

The head captain furrows his scarred brow and nods his affirmation. Murmurs go around the room as the other captains acknowledge the significance of this revelation.

**Yamamoto:** 'I cannot allow any number of soul reapers to go to that place. Hueco Mundo governs itself and only when hollow come into soul society or the world of the living, do we have any jurisdiction.'

Wolverine marches forward but Stephen puts a warning hand on his shoulder. The sorcerer steps in front of his companion and outsrtetches his hands pleadingly.

**Dr. Strange:** 'We do not require many, and we will assure their safe return-'

**Yamamoto:** 'My descision is final! I will not personally send any soul reaper under my jurisdiction into that place for this mission. You are all dismissed!'

He again taps his walking stick on the wooden floor boards, signifying his rule on the matter and the conclusion of the meeting. The captains move slowly out of the room with Unohana bowing slightly to Dr. Strange and the captain of the eighth squad putting a consoling hand on the doctor's shoulder. Captain Kuchiki, upon exiting the room, nods ever so slightly to Thor, and then vanishes without a sound. The captain of squad eleven, Kenpachi Zaraki brushes past Hulk and smirks.

**Kenpachi:** 'Wish I could help ya big green; sounds like whatever ya guys are plannin' could be fun.'

Rangiku and Omaeda leave with their respective captains and Wolverine walks out second to last with the mystic floating behind him as the doors close.

**Wolverine: **'That old bastard, thinkin' he's all high an' mighty! Let me go a couple rounds with him; I'll change his tune.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Even if we do not agree with his ruling, we must respect their world's laws.'

**Hulk: **'What happened in there to get the little guy so fired up?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'It appears that we will be on our own if we want to rescue Betsy.'

**Thor:** 'Soul society denies us aid? E'en Captain Hitsugaya?'

Dr. Strange closes his eyes and rubs his temples.

**Dr. Strange: **'It was not a descision that was up for debate. Captain Yamamoto's word is final, although there were a few captains who sympathised with our cause.'

Shuuhei Hisagi clenches his fists in annoyance.

**Shuuhei:** 'Whatever you decide, I'm coming with you.'

Dr. Strange goes to protest, but hesitates upon seeing the passion in the man's eyes.

**Dr. Strange:** '... I cannot tell you what to do lieutenant, but I will say that we appreciate your help.'

**Thor:** 'Aye; shalt we traverse to the second squad as the feline suggested?'

The four heroes and the lieutenant walk off in the direction of Captain Soifon's headquarters. Within twenty minutes, they arrive at the foot of what looks like hundreds of stone stairs leading up to the office of the second captain. Adorned on either side of the beginning of the steps is a red marble pillar with the kanji for "two" carved into the marble. On top of each pedestal sits a gold ornament, similar to the tops of Russian cathedrals. The five ascend the stairs until they finally see Yoruichi, who is still in her cat form, perched upon a railing with Soifon leaning against a support beam next to her.

**Soifon:** 'So you decided to take Lady Yoruichi up on her offer; good for you.'

She spins on the ball of her foot and walks swiftly inside. To the hero's surprise, the two large doors in front of her open automatically! Logan lets out a low whistle;

**Wolverine: **'Fancy.'

The cat rolls her large golden eyes and leaps off the railing and trails after her former bodyguard. Upon entering the fairly large office, Logan notices that the floor is heated!

**Wolverine:** 'Ya don't spare any expenses do ya darlin'?'

**Soifon:** 'Omaeda will do anything to get on my good side. He did this to accommodate Yoruichi-sama at my request.'

Logan looks down at the cat who looks as if she's smiling, and then she effortlessly leaps up to the second captain's shoulder. The heroes and Shuuhei follow the small captain into a larger room with a long rectangular table situated in the center of the room. Yoruichi leaps down from her resting spot and skips out of the room. Soifon moves around the table and puts her palms down on the wooden surface. She locks her grey eyes on each one of the heroes before settling them on the lieutenant of the ninth squad.

**Soifon:** 'I am a captain of the thirteen court gaurd squads. I uphold the ideals and laws that are decreed by my superiors. I follow the head captain's orders as if my life depended on it. No current soul reaper will aid you on your mission.'

As she finishes her speach, the former captain of squad two once again enters the room. This time she is dressed in a form-fitting, black one piece that is cut high on her hips and also reveals her chocolate shoulders and most of her collar bones. She is still wearing arm and shin gaurds, and around her neck is a beige wrap. Yoruichi comes to a stop next to her former body gaurd and casually rests her elbow on the captain's shoulder. Soifon's cheeks turn crimson as she smiles, embarrassed.

**Yoruichi:** 'Luckily for you, I'm no longer recognized as a soul reaper.'

At this, Shuuhei steps up and states;

**Shuuhei:** 'Yoruichi-san, I wish to go on this mission with you to hueco mundo as well!'

The auburn-haired woman winks at the lieutenant and then looks away dissmisively.

**Yoruichi: **'Yamamoto gave strict orders that no soul reaper under his command would be allowed to aid the humans.'

Shuuhei stares at the former captain for a minute before finally looking down at the lieutenant's badge tied to his left arm. He reaches up to it with his right hand and rests his fingers on it before continuing.

**Shuuhei:** 'Captain Soifon, as my witness, I hereby renounce my position as lieutenant of the ninth squad.'

He unties the cloth from his bicep and slams it on the table for emphasis! Soifon smirks and turns her back to the group.

**Soifon: **'Very well; I acknowledge your abandonment of the position of lieutenant. As far as I'm concerned, you're no longer bound by the laws of soul society.'

Hisagi nods his understanding and turns to Dr. Strange.

**Shuuhei:** 'I'm aware of the consequences of my actions, but I want to help you save Betsy.'

**Dr. Strange: **'I know the significance of the descision that you have just made, son, so I believe it would be disrespectful to turn you away now.'

**Wolverine: **'Now that the formalities are outta the way, I say we get this party started.'

**Yoruichi:** 'We're going to use my family's Senkaimon. I may be an outcast, but my family's still in favor with soul society.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I was not aware that you could get to this hueco mundo via Senkaimon.'

**Yoruichi:** 'You can't; we're using the gate to go back to the world of the living. Urahara's been working on something that'll hopefully help us get there.'

Hulk looks to Thor and says;

**Hulk:** '"Hopefully"?'

**Thor:** 'I doth echo mine large ally; hath Urahara not tested this "something"?'

**Yoruichi:** 'I wouldn't worry too much guys; besides, we're waisting time talking about it.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'The lady is right; we will follow you to your portal.'

With that, Soifon watches them leave through the back of her barracks. After traveling for a time, the six come to a large estate and Yoruichi leads them through a few corridors and then motions for them to stop. Positioned in front of the group is a high wall that has an eight foot arch way dividing the wall. Without turning to the group, the woman speaks;

**Yoruichi:** 'The only problem with this plan is that I...'

She hesitates for a moment, rubbing the back of her neck, embarrassed.

**Yoruichi:** '... Haven't been able to access the gate for a hundred years.'

Logan throws up his hands in frustration.

**Wolverine:** 'Yer just now tellin' us this? So what now?'

Silence fills the air for a few secons as the people gathered try to think of a plan. Suddenly Soifon appears smiling at her former princess.

**Soifon:** 'Lady Yoruichi, I thought that you'd need my help.'

She slips in between her mentor and the open space as she unsheaths her zanpakutou.

**Soifon:** 'My family has served the Shihouin family for hundreds of years. I've never lost the ability to open your Senkaimon.'

She stabs her sword into the space between the section of walls and says;

**Soifon: **'Unlock.'

She turns Suzemebachi as if she were turning a key and suddenly, the empty space fills with white light that soon dissipates, revealing two rectangular shoji screens. The doors open, revealing two more circular doors of the same make. The second set of doors begin to open and the heroes see six Hell Butterflies emerge from the portal and hover around the entrance. Yoruichi steps up to the small captain as the circular doors finish opening. She lays a hand on the woman's shoulder and whispers something into her ear that even Wolverine can't pick up. Soifon reaches up and touches the other woman's hand. Just before Yoruichi enters the portal, she turns back to the heroes.

**Yoruichi:** 'You guys coming?'

**Editor's Notes: Sorry for the cliff hanger! I wanted to keep going, but I didn't want too long of a chapter this time. I haven't said anything up to this point, but I'm sure a couple of you are wondering about my individual chapter titles. I'm terrible with names and summaries so I apologize if my titles are a little screwy :) Hope you enjoy and Happy Reading!**


	27. Borrowed Bodies

**Editor's note: As with the last chapter, for those of you who aren't completely caught up with Bleach's current story, this chapter may contain spoilers.**

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Borrowed bodies**

The heroes follow Yoruichi and Shuuhei into the portal and almost immediately, Hulk begins to run, much to the female's surprise.

**Yoruichi:** 'Why're you running big guy?'

**Hulk:** 'When we came through the first time, we were nearly trampled by this big "cleaner" thing. I don't want to go through that again.'

The former second captain covers her mouth as she snickers a bit. Hulk stops running and frowns at the beautiful woman. She stops laughing and holds out her hand as one of the black butterflies floats to a landing on her slender finger.

**Yoruichi: **'Sorry, I should've told you that with an authorized Senkaimon, you get accompanied by a Hell Butterfly. When you came through the first time, you did so illegally and so you were immediately transported to the Dangai. We still have to hurry, but not because of the cleaner.'

**Hulk: **'OK, I'll buy that.'

Wolverine grunts and then the six resume their journey. Within minutes, white light signifies the end of their trek and shortly, they step out of the portal and just outside of the humble candy shop of Kisuke Urahara. As the six approach the driveway of the building, the man with the bucket hat quickly slides open the front door and steps out; shutting the door as soon as his black coat is free. He looks up at the approaching group as he adjusts his hat.

**Urahara: **'Well that was fast; I didn't expect to see you so soon.'

Yoruichi gracefully skips over to the shop owner and practically purrs;

**Yoruichi: **'What's going on in there, Mr. Kiskuke, that has you so flustered?'

**Urahara: **'"Flustered"? Me? Not at all; I just thought I'd have a little more time to clean up in here is all.'

The female smiles at him and then beckons the rest to follow her inside. Logan looks at the shaggy-haired former captain as the man rubs the back of his neck, smilling sheepishly. When the heroes enter the room and see what is going on, you can almost hear a pin drop due to the silence that follows. The room is in chaos as two people the four dimension hoppers have yet to meet are hovered over Wolverine's body. One is a very large male, standing 6'6", with corn-rolled hair and a pair of small rectangular glasses adorning his face. He has a thick, handlebar mustasche that grows into his black, trimmed sideburns. He wears a tight white shirt and pants, with a blue apron covering his clothes. The other person, who is being held at the waist by the older man, is a boy with bright red hair, standing at only 4'1" and holding what looks like a large metal bat. He too wears a white shirt and three-quarter length shorts that are rolled at the bottoms.

**Wolverine: **'What the hell are ya doin' kid?'

What has Logan so aggitated is what the boy is doing with his weapon. Wolverine looks at his body; which is dressed, not in his familiar yellow and blue costume as when he left, but rather now in khaki colored bermuda shorts and a pink button-down Hawaiin shirt with green leaves patterned into it! That's not the most shocking thing though, as the ferral scrapper looks on, he sees the boy take one last swing at the Canucklehead's adamantium-laced skull! Upon seeing his soul, Wolverine's body runs over to him, waving his hairy arms in the air with tears in his eyes!

**Logan's body: **'Oh thank's so much for coming to my rescue! That child has been beating on me ever since I woke up!'

He hides behind the mutant's shoulder, sticking his tongue out at the red-haired boy. The boy scowls and points his large bat threateningly at the body.

**?:** 'You're such a tattle tail! I don't know what the big deal is; you heal right after every shot anyway!'

Wolverine shrugs off his body and with his fists clenched, walks over to the child.

**Wolverine:** 'What do ya mean "every shot"? You've been usin' my body as a punchin' bag this whole time? And what's goin' on with my voice and the way he's actin?'

Kisuke walks back into the room with an apologetic grin plastered onto his face.

**Urahara:** 'I'm sorry for the way my associate is behaving; he's hyper-active and has a bit of a mean streak. As far as your body's voice and mannerisms, it's because of the replacement soul that's housed inside your body.'

**Wolverine:** 'When we left, our bodies were just dead weight; ya mean ta tell me they all o' sudden "woke up"?'

**Urahara:** 'It takes a couple of minutes for the soul to acclimate itself to whatever body it's housed in. I didn't have much time when I designed your group's special spirit exchangers, plus I didn't exactly now what kind of personalities each of you possessed.'

As if to drive home the hatted man's point, in walks Thor's body, eating some kind of snack.

**Thor's body: **'Yo guys, long time no see! I was starvin' so I got me somethin' from the kitchen. Hope that's OK.'

The blonde stuffs the remains of the food in his mouth and grins at his soul and companions. The body is bearfoot and is wearing loose fitting jeans that only come down to his calves. The shirt he's wearing is black and form-fitting, with the word "complicated" written in red across the chest. Odin's Son just looks dumbfounded at his body and then looks back at Kisuke.

**Urahara:** 'We couldn't have you're bodies running around in their colorful costumes; people would've started to complain!'

**Yoruichi:** 'What "people"? I've never seen anyone ever really come into the store!'

**Urahara: **'Well, Tessai and I got them new clothes while you've been in soul society. I didn't know Jinta started using Logan-san's body as a practice dummy.'

**Wolverine:** 'Watch it, bub.'

Just then, after the mentioning of his name, the large man wearing the apron kneels down and says;

**Tessai:** 'I am sorry sir; I will punish Jinta for his rash behavior!'

To that, the red-haired boy gulps and tries to run away, but Tessai's strong hand easily catches the youth!

**Jinta:** 'H-hey! I was just messin' around with the guy! He liked it; ask him!'

The two leave the room and soon, are out of ear-shot. After the display, Hulk steps up and says;

**Hulk: **'Alright, so we have a whiny Wolverine and a stoned-out Thor; do I even want to know what kind of soul I have in my body?'

**Urahara:** 'Go see for yourself; he's - your down the hall.'

Hulk lumbers off in the direction that the blonde-haired man points. Finally, Dr. Strange speaks up for the first time after witnessing the circus unfold.

**Dr. Strange: **'It seems that, although our bodies are not as how we left them, you have taken care of them. For that we thank you.'

Wolverine grumbles as he leans up agains the wall, ignoring his still crying body.

**Wolverine: **'Speak fer yerself.'

Suddenly there's a roar from direction that Hulk took just seconds ago!

**Hulk: **'What did you do to my body?'

At this, Wolverine grins and picks himself off the wall and rushes past Kisuke and Dr. Strange as he wants to be the first to see what Hulk is fussing about. Hulk's body is kneeling in the middle of a plain room with boxes lining the walls. He has his large green hands palms up and resting on his thick thighs. He is wearing large baggy orange pants and his face is hidden under a hat very similar to what the captain of the eighth squad, Shunsui Kyoraku, wears. In a voice that is filled with calm and understanding that the real Hulk couldn't possibly achieve, Hulk's body speaks.

**Hulk's body: **'There is only peace and love to absorb. The key to one's happiness is first mastering one's own heart.'

He breathes in deep and then slowly exhales as Logan chuckles at Hulk's irrate face.

**Hulk:** 'No way; put me back in there right now! I don't care about kickin' Thanos' purple ass anymore; I think I'll start with Kisuke's!'

He takes a step forward and Stephen puts a warning hand on his chest.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I am sure that Mr. Urahara can assure us that these effects are only temparary, and once we have completed our mission, we will have control over our body's once more.'

Kisuke spreads out his fan and puts up to his face.

**Urahara:** 'The souls will leave your bodies as soon as you come back to them, yes.'

The green goliath cracks his knuckles menacingly.

**Hulk:** 'They better.'

**Wolverine:** 'Ok, well after seein' that, I think I can live with mine fer just a little longer!'

He slaps his large companion on the back and Hulk just frowns; dejected. Kisuke motions the quartet to follow him back to the main sectin of the shop where they had left Shuuhei and Yoruichi.

**Urahara: **'Now back to the matter at hand. I believe you all need a way to get to hueco mundo to rescue your teammate?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'That is correct; speaking of which, where is Psylocke's body, not to mention my own?'

**Urahara:** 'Your body, we'll see soon enough; let's just say, it's better to leave him where he is for the time being. As for Psylocke's, well, she's in the kitchen.'

**Yoruichi:** 'A woman in the kitchen; why am I not surprised?'

The six enter the room located just behind the store and sit at a large, traditional Japanese table. Hulk and Thor opt to stand due to their size, but Logan, Shuuhei, Yoruichi and Dr. Strange kneel on the pillows provided. Kisuke joins them shortly, quickly shifting his eyes towards the former captain of the second squad.

**Yoruichi:** 'What?'

**Urahara:** 'Before we see Betsy-san, I should explain her-'

Before he can continue, the door leading to the kitchen slides open and out walks the mutant telepath's body, carrying a tray of refreshments. Logan's eyes go wide in shock and Shuuhei blushes.

**Wolverine:** 'Kisuke, ya dog!'

Psylocke's purlpe hair is pulled up into a bun and is covered in a black hat, bordered by white lace. She is dressed in a french maid's outfit, complete with a low-cut blouse adorned with frilly lace. Her skirt is cut short and she wears black, thigh-high stockings! She sets the tray down on the low table and giggles. As she positions herself upright, she rests her bust on Kisuke's shoulder and says;

**Psylocke's body:** 'Will that be all Urahara-sama?'

Her voice is shrill, but not annoying. As the hatted man stammers to explain, the soul inside Betsy giggles as she saunters back into the kitchen. Yoruichi, who is sitting next to Kisuke, folds her toned, slender arms across her chest and glares at the man.

**Yoruichi: **'"Urahara-sama"?'

Kisuke leans back and away from the scorned cat and laughs nervously! He then quickly calms himself by clearing his throat and adjusting his hat to where his grey eyes are covered.

**Urahara:** 'They're a little hard to live with, but it's the least we can do to help. '

Yoruichi just huffs and turns away from the hatted man as she picks up her tea and begins to sip on it. Urahara steals one more glance at his long-time friend before he turns back to the patiently waiting heroes. He takes a sip of tea as well before continuing.

**Urahara:** 'Well then, now that most of the surprises are out in the open, I say you all follow me so that I can get you to hueco mundo.'

Thor, Hulk, Wolverine and Dr. Strange follow Kisuke down the ladder they had used when they first arrived here. Stephen is the last of the heroes to touch the rocky soil as Yoruichi and Shuuhei descend upon the training grounds. Somewhere close-by, the mystic can hear a bit of scuffling by unseen combatants. Shortly, a body appears tumbling head-over-feet and coming to a stop in a cloud of dust under the cliff that everyone is on. Hulk and Wolverine jump down to see what's happening as Dr. Strange simply descends the distance by floating down. The god of thunder stays where he's at to get a better view of any possible threat. Hulk makes his own cloud of dust as his heavy frame hits the ground and Logan touches down seconds after. The obscured body engulfed in the slowly dissipating debris starts to grumble.

**Ichigo: **'Stupid old man! Stupid Urahara for making me deal with him! He says, "I want you to meet someone before going back to soul society." I'm tired of fighting with this guy. I-'

He stops his rant as he notices the gathered bodies around him when the dust finally clears. He locks eyes with Dr. Strange and immediately backs away with his hands out in front of him in a surrendering fashion!

**Ichigo:** 'I don't want to fight anymore! You win - wait, you're not -'

Dr. Strange knits his brow in confusion, but before the sorcerer can say anything another figure comes into view. Emerging from behind a boulder is Dr. Strange's body; dressed in a white, long-sleeved jumpsuit with a black stripe running down the length of his shoulders, all the way down his arms. A stripe also hugs either side of his torso and runs the length of his legs. His feet are covered in white tabi, but surprisingly, there's not an ounce of dust on him! The body looks up at the gathered ensemble and smirks as he narrows his eyes. He uses the thumb of his right hand to forcibly rub his nose as he takes up a loose fighting stance. Kisuke leans over and speaks softly so that only the heroes, Shuuhei, Ichigo and Yoruichi can hear.

**Urahara:** 'The replacement housed in Stephen-san's body seems to be somewhat of a fighter. I was keeping him busy until Ichigo here came back. He's been sparring with him ever since.'

**Ichigo:** 'Yeah, you said you had something to show me when you brought me down here, then you kicked me and locked the damn door behind you!'

**Dr. Strange:** 'That... soul; does he have any knowledge of my abilities?'

**Urahara:** 'Not at all; he's just using your body as is, and doesn't care who he fights with.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Very well.'

The housed soul becomes inpatiant as he speaks up for the first time.

**Stephen's body:** 'Hey! You guys done wipin' each other's butts or what? I wanna bust some heads!'

The voice that issues from the sorcerer's body is raspy; like grated charcoal.

**Wolverine:** 'Hey Kisuke-san, where do ya find these souls? Don't ya have any normal ones lyin' aroun?'

Before the shop owner can comment, Strange's body sprints towards the group of people with his fists clenched!

**Hulk:** 'Incoming.'

**Wolverine:** 'I don't wanna hurt yer body doc.'

The body launches itself in the air and leads with a straight kick intended for Logan's face, but the little man avoids the attack by side-stepping and then, with both hands, pushes his attacker even further away from him. The body in white deftly flips and stops his momentum a few yards away from the group. He switches targets as he tries to take on the green goliath in his next assault. Hulk faces his smaller advesary with his large arms at his sides.

**Hulk: **'I don't feel like sending your body to the E.R. either Strange.'

The housed soul ignores the sheer size of Hulk as he quickly runs up the gargantuan's leg and connects with a strong kick to his opponent's temple! Hulk brings his hand up to his mouth and mock coughs as Strange's body lands while rubbing his foot. Undaunted, the soul gets up and rushes the giant once more; this time throwing multiple punches and kicks at Hulk's midsection! Hulk looks down and then over to where Dr. Strange stands, with his arms folded, slightly amused.

**Hulk:** 'Do you want to do something or should I?'

Stephen nods and floats over to where his body is. He puts a hand on his shoulder as he quickly says;

**Dr. Strange:** 'Bakudo number one; restrain.'

Instantly, the soul halts his attack on the jade giant and his arms are roughly forced behind his back as he falls to his knees!

**Stephen's body:** 'Hey! What gives?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Bakudo number four; crawling rope!'

A yellow-hued rope of energy materializes out of thin air and wraps around his body's arms and waist, further immobilizing him. Urahara clasps his hands together in approval of Dr. Strange's use of kidou.

**Urahara:** 'Impressive work, Stephen-san! Your spells really worked in helping you learn everything I taught you.'

With the excitement dying down, Thor leaps off of the cliff and lands next to Strange and the others.

**Thor:** 'Art thou ready to show us our way to hueco mundo?'

**Urahara:** 'Ah yes. Everyone follow me; I have something to show you.'

As the seven leave the still squirming body of Dr. Strange to follow after the former captain of squad twelve, they hear another voice coming up behind them.

**Ishida:** 'You do realize that it's chaos upstairs don't you?'

The calm and collected young Quincy is dressed in his familiar white attire and is carrying three rectangular boxes in his arms.

**Urahara:** 'Uryu Ishida, what brings you down here? Oh is that your project?'

The teen in white nods, acknowledging the former twelfth captain.

**Ishida:** 'A little while ago I felt traces of Yoruichi's spiritual pressure and assumed that she was back getting supplies. I wanted to leave these packages with her to give to the other-dimensional beings, but since they're here too, I'll just give them out now.'

The four look at each other with confused looks on their faces and turn back to the white-clad Quincy.

**Wolverine:** 'We're kinda in a hurry, kid; save it fer later OK?'

The youth pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he glares at the shorter man.

**Ishida:** 'I would figure you'd get tired of going through countless soul reaper kimonos and would want something a little more durable.'

**Wolverine:** 'What?'

**Ishida:** 'The same goes for your green friend; wouldn't you like to wear something more your size?'

As Uryu starts to hand Logan and Hulk their boxes, he looks around and then tilts his head.

**Ishida:** 'Where is the woman that was with you a few days ago?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'That is why we are here son; she was taken by the enemy we have come to stop. We are just about to use Mr. Urahara's way of getting to the place called hueco mundo.'

**Ishida:** 'I see. This last box is for her; so when you return, please give it to her. Good luck.'

He places the last box on a near-by, semi-flat, surface and begins to walk away when Hulk speaks up.

**Hulk:** 'What're these suppossed to be?'

Hulk has opened his box and in his hands he holds a pair of small, flimsy pants. The size of the clothing looks like they could barely fit Dr. Strange! The Quincy folds his arms and looks at Hulk with impatience.

**Ishida:** 'They're pants. I took a great deal of time to make them, so be greatful. The fabric is made out of condensed spirit particles, so they're highly more durable than anything you would find in soul society. Urahara added something extra but he wouldn't tell me what it was.'

**Hulk:** 'Thanks, but in case you haven't noticed, I'm a big guy; these couldn't fit the runt!'

**Wolverine: **'Watch it, bub.'

**Ishida:** 'They're made to form to the wearer's build. They will fit just fine when you put them on. Trust me.'

Hulk shrugs and lumbers off to find some privacy as Logan begins to open his box. He looks inside and immediately sees the familiar look of his traditional winged mask.

**Wolverine:** 'Ya made us new costumes?'

**Ishida:** 'When you all first arrived and I saw what you were wearing, I took it upon myself to personally improve upon the designs of your outfits. When I followed Kurosaki, Chad and Inoue-san into soul society, I noticed that you all were wearing reaper kimonos. It was a perfect oppurtunity to make these.'

Wolverine takes his costume fully out of the box and holds it up. It is his traditional yellow and blue color scheme with slight variations. Instead of pointed stripes placed on his shoulders and sides, a large "X" flows seemlessly from the shoulders down to the hips, criss-crossing near the abdomen of the garmet. The feel of the material is like a mix between silk, spandex and leather, but it's lighter than any material Logan has ever held in his long life!

**Wolverine:** 'It's like Unstable Molecules.'

**Ishida:** 'What?'

**Wolverine:** 'Nevermind. Ya said Kisuke did somethin' extra to the suits?'

In an annoyed tone he replies;

**Ishida:** 'I told you he wouldn't tell me what it was.'

Logan shrugs and follows Hulk's lead as he dissapears behind a large rock formation to get changed.

**Ishida:** 'I would have made something for the two of you as well, but I've never tried metal working, Thor-san, and I've never even seen your garmets dirty, Dr. Strange-san.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'It is quite all right; even if my mystical vestments were damaged, I can easily manipulate the molocules however I need to repair them.'

**Thor:** 'Tis no fault of yours; soul society tells me they hath their greatest metal-smiths working to repair mine armor.'

With that, Hulk returns in his new attire. He comes out from behind the rocks, picking at the material that has lodged itself between his butt cheeks!

**Hulk:** 'Still kind of snug for my tastes.'

**Ishida:** 'That... will pass with wear.'

His form-fitting pants come just below the waist and stop just under his calf muscles. There is a white "cross" shape running the length of his front and back which are connected on either side to form an "H" on the legs. The other color that covers the rest of the material is a deep purple. Hulk bends his knees and twists at the waist, trying to work the fabric in. After a few seconds, he shrugs and goes back to stand near the others. A minute later, Logan comes out with his mask hanging down the back of his costume as he finishes pulling on his last glove. The gloves and boots are the biggest difference in what he's used to wearing. The gloves and boots are still dominately blue, but now have a border of white with a "cross" pattern lining the forearm and shin. Logan looks himself over and huffs approvingly.

**Wolverine: **'Not bad, kid, but I gotta ask; what's up with all these crosses? I wouldn't exactly call myself religious.'

Uryu again pushes the frames of his glasses up the bridge of his nose before answering.

**Ishida:** 'It is the mark of the Quincy, and also my signature.'

The hairy mutant shrugs and turns to Kisuke.

**Wolverine:** 'Alright, bub, can we go now?'

**Urahara:** 'Follow me around this rock formation, and then we'll begin the process of opening up our very own garganta.'

Shuuhei, who has been a silent spectator until now, speaks up.

**Hisagi:** 'You've managed to duplicate a hollow technique?'

**Urahara:** 'I don't know about "duplicate", but I've been working on something, at the request of Yamamoto-san, since Aizen defected.'

The eight round a rocky cliff-face and come to a stop in a wide open space. Thirty yards away stand two huge outcroppings of rock, separated by fifty yards. Near the tops of these mini-mountains, jutting out towards the heroes from the very rock itself, are two thick beams about four feet in length. Hulk looks up at the structure and mock whistles his enthusiasm.

**Hulk:** 'Wow, that's impressive. What is it?'

**Urahara:** 'This is the structure that will hopefully open the garganta and get you in to rescue your teammate.'

Hulk leans over to Thor and mumbles;

**Hulk:** 'There's that word, "hopefully", again. Isn't anything for certain around here?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'From what we have seen of Kisuke's prowess, we should have the utmost confidence in his ability to get us to our desination safely.'

The hatted man bows towards the mystic, thanking him for the vote of confidence.

**Urahara:** 'Now Stephen-san, I want you to pay close attention to how I open this portal. Once there, you'll be the only one capable of getting Yoruichi and the others home.'

The sorcerer's eyes narrow and then he nods as he whispers an incantation. Soon, his hands glow red and he lays down another set of reading spells. Kisuke steps back from the group and puts his cane, which is in his left hand, to the barren earth as he begins an incantation of his own.

**Urahara:** 'My right hand is the stone that bridges worlds. My left is the blade that binds reality.'

As the words flow from the ex-captain's mouth, his left hand begins to blaze with a white-blue energy!

**Urahara:** 'The black-haired shepherd is hung from a chair. Stratus clouds come, and I strike down the ibis.'

The geta-wearing man finishes his spell and the blue energy that engulfed his hand fades. Seconds later, a seam appears in mid-air between the two rock formations. It grows in length and substance until it slowly opens like an eyelid opening from a long slumber. The heroes gaze into the swirling black depths of the unknown portal. The whirlpool of energy is chaotic, with no particular direction.

**Urahara:** 'In order to traverse the landscape of the garganta, you need to control the energies from within. I want Yoruichi to lead and Shuuhei can bring up the rear, with the rest of you falling in the middle. If you slip off of the path that these two create, then you'll be lost forever.'

**Wolverine:** 'We wouldn't want that...'

As he finishes his instructions, Ichigo speaks up in a semi-annoyed tone.

**Ichigo:** 'Hey, what am I supposed to do?'

**Urahara:** 'Ichigo; you can't quite control your spiritual pressure, so you'll have to run along in the middle with the rest of them.'

The orange-haired substitute glares at the hatted man before quietly admitting defeat.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Kisuke; thank you for your help. I know what it must be like to have to send someone you care about into the unknown.'

The former captain waves him off playfully, trying to lighten the tension of the moment.

**Urahara:** 'Not at all! I wouldn't ask her to help if I knew she couldn't handle it.'

**Yoruichi:** 'What're you trying to say Kisuke, that there were doubts about my abilities?'

He laughs nervously.

**Urahara:** 'No, no, nothing like that!'

Before turning to lead the group, she gives him a wink and smile.

**Yoruichi:** 'Let's go everybody; the longer we wait around, the more danger Psylocke will be in!'

The female jumps up to the partal's edge first and begins stabalizing the rampant energies around the opening. Yoruichi gives the OK by beckoning to the others with her hand. Seeing her signal, Dr. Strange effortlessly ascends by levitating. Wolverine looks up at the distance that separates himself and his destination. He sighs and then looks up at Hulk who is standing next to him.

**Wolverine:** 'Hey bub, ya mind givin' me a lift?'

The green goliath looks down at his dimunitive rival and his lips upturn into a rare smile.

**Hulk:** 'You keep asking me to throw you; I could get used to this.'

**Wolverine: **'Yeah, just don't get **too** used to it bub.'

Hulk reaches down with his huge hand and scoops up the ferral mutant. Using just an ounce of his massive strength, the jade giant throws Logan into the air. As he nears the gaping hole in space, he throws out his arm and Yoruichi, despite being slightly shorter and extremely lighter than Wolverine, catches him and brings him inside safely. Logan grins at the woman, thanking her for the save. She winks in return and then turns back to look at the others. Thor calmly swings his hammer, which is strapped to his wrist, into the air and soars up to meet the others. Yoruichi has solidified enough of the black nothingness so that those inside can walk around freely without being too cramped. Being the last of the heroes, Hulk bends his knees and launches himself into the air; coming down fairly soft, for him, just inside next to Dr. Strange. Ichigo leaps up from the ground next and lands with nearly no sound next to Yoruichi. Shuuhei takes one last look at Urahara and then bows to him before he too, takes off from the ground and then lands in the black opening. Yoruichi starts to walk off into the cavity, creating solid footing with her spiritual pressure as she goes along. As the opening created by Kisuke begins to close, she turns on the balls of her feet and begins to walk backwards so she can face the group.

**Yoruichi:** 'From what I understand, this isn't like the Dangai or the bridge between soul society and the world of the living. It has its own laws, so we should stay close and move as fast as we can.'

She turns around and begins to run at a decent pace. While running, Logan notices the differences between the completely solid path that the female creates and the tangible yet transparent road that Shuuhei is generating. He then glances at the middle of the group where the teenaged soul reaper decided to run and almost smiles as his path is completly erradic and unformed; only appearing strong where his feet touch! He thinks to himself; _good thing Yoruichi and Hisagi are with us. I'd hate ta think how long it'd take us if we had ta just follow this kid. He's strong, but he's got a long way ta go if ya ask me. _He refocuses as he continues to follow behind the beautiful woman in front of him. The group runs for what seems like hours, until they finally see a dim light forming a few meters ahead of them. As they reach the light, they seem to just fall out of the sky, landing in a cloud of white sand and dust! The only ones to land on their feet are Yoruichi and Dr. Strange; the latter, just floats down to a soundless landing. As the others pick themselves up, and off of one another, they all slowly take in this new world they find themselves in. Wolverine immediately starts to discover his surroundings through his inhanced senses. He sniffs at the dry air and almost wishes that he hadn't! The smell is stale and the place reeks of death and decay. Compared to soul society, this world is nearly devoid of all life. The hairs on his arms pick up on the wind that lightly blows around the area, but even this tastes stale when he licks his lips. As he looks around the moon-lit night, he sees clumps of sand move and settle and he can hear things scurrying about in the distance.

**Wolverine: **'I got a bad feeling about this place.'

**Hulk:** 'You're not saying you're scared are you?'

**Wolverine:** 'If ya could pick up on what I'm sensin', ya'd be a little on edge too bub.'

**Thor:** 'Odin's Son hears the rumblings of Mjolnir, and he doth agree with Wolverine; this place be born of evil.'

**Yoruichi:** 'Welcome to hueco mundo; the home of hollow.'

An ominous silence falls on the gathered force as the former captain of squad two's words sink in. Every hollow that the group has faced thus far has come from this place. Seconds tick by before the orange-haired teen speaks up.

**Ichigo:** 'Come on guys; we're wasting time trying to freak each other out!'

He instinctively grips the white wrappings on the hilt of his zanpakutou, Zangetsu. The group begins to walk in a loose "V" patern, with Yoruichi at point. Dr. Strange is on her left and Wolverine is tensed on her right. Ichigo walks on the sorcerer's left and Thor takes up his position on Logan's right. Hulk falls in last on Ichigo's left and Shuuhei paces himself on the thunderer's right. They walk like this for a few minutes until, under their feet, a rumbling can be felt! The group stops and collapses in on each other, forming a defensive circle.

**Thor: **'Doth this be an Earthquake?'

**Yoruichi:** 'I wish! Looks like we've got company.'

A mound of sand can be seen coming towards them at a tremendous speed, when suddenly the sand shifts and starts to move around their circle; trapping them inside the large mound of churning white sand! Wolverine pops his claws for the first time while wearing his new suit and Dr. Strange calls forth his magicks to surround his gloved hands as he rises into the air. The other members of the group take up their own defensive positions as well. Finally, the sound of shifting sand is replaced by a deep roar as the creature that was beneath the sand finally breaks the surface and reveals itself! The hollow is at least fifty feet in length and it has twelve muscular arms that are attached to the sides of its armored body. On its back are ten basketball-sized bumbs protruding out near the first two sets of arms. Its yellow eyes glow bright behind a mask that is smooth and diamond-shaped. Instead of one large set of teeth set into the mask, this hollow has seven smaller mouths peppering its otherwise featureless mask. The hollow rears back, propping its massive body up on its tail end as he lets out another ear-splitting howl!

**Hulk: **'This thing is uglier than anything we've seen so far!'

**Wolverine:** 'Ya know what they say; the bigger they are, the harder they fall!'

**Shuuhei:** 'Its spiritual pressure is very high; I'd use caution if I were you, Logan-san.'

Logan shifts his glance momentarily towards the ex-lieutenant and grins, revealing his sharp canines.

**Wolverine:** 'Then I guess ya better be lucky that ya **ain't** me, bub.'

One of the hollow's mouths begins to gather energy before it shoots out a beam of bright crimson at the circle of companions!

**Yoruichi:** 'Cero!'

The group dives for cover as the beam slams into the sand, kicking up a large plume of dust where they were just standing! As the combatants begin to recover, the massive hollow roars again and swings its thick tail around and catches the jade giant in the chest! The force of the blow knocks the gamma-irradiated behemoth off of his feet and sends him flying into a near-by sand dune, burying him in a mountain of sand! The monster then brings two of his large hands down, targeting Ichigo and Shuuhei. Each reaper deals with the attack in their own way; Ichigo takes Zangetsu from behind his back and uses the large blade as a shield to block the fist that reigns down upon him, whereas Hisagi simply flash steps out of the way. When the tattooed soul reaper reappears, he draws his zanpakutou and rushes his attacker! The monster raises all twelve of his arms and brings them down simultaneously, trying to hit anyone it can! The ground shakes and sand rises into the air like geysers; Thor throws his hammer and rises into the air as Dr. Strange creates several crimson bands and wraps them around two of the beast's arms. Wolverine runs up one of the arms until he gets to the shoulder; he draws back his fist and right before he conects with a severing blow, one of the basketball-sized lumps on the creature's back dissconects from its home and strikes the mutant hard in the chest, knocking him from his mount! Yoruichi avoids her share of the onslaught by flash stepping away, but instead of going on the offensive she moves just out of harms way for the time being. Thor, who is still in the air, swings Mjolnir around as he creates lightning that shoots out and crashes into the hollow's side! The attack creates sparks against its hard skin and smoke rises from the burn wound as the creature lets out a scream of anger and pain. Hulk rises from his blanket of sand and charges the beast with the full power of his legs. The green goliath roars back at the monster as he rams his large shoulder into the underbelly of his advesary. He punches the creature twice and cracks the steel-like armor before attempting to lift the creature into the air. But as he braces himself, one of the ten unbound arms grabs him and slams him forcibly into the sand; burying him once again! Ichigo runs up behind the creature and attempts to slice through another arm with his zanpakutou, only to have his attack thwarted by the monster's thick hide! The sheer size of the beast makes it difficult to handle, even for the quarted of seasoned heroes and the experienced soul reapers. Wolverine slices the thick and extremely heavy projectile in half as he gets to his feet; his bruised chest already healing.

**Wolverine:** 'This guy's alot tougher than what we've seen so far! He doesn't even have Thanos's stink on 'im; I think Urahara forgot ta mention what we'd be facin' in here.'

**Yoruichi:** 'He didn't forget; you just never asked him. What's the matter, this thing too much for you?'

**Wolverine:** 'Heh; no, I just didn't want to overdue it my first go 'round.'

He looks over to where the auburn-haired woman is standing and as he looks on, he notices the sand start to swirl lightly around her feet. Before he can comment though, the light wind becomes a gale as she holds out her arm, glaring at her much larger opponent.

**Yoruichi:** 'Shunko.'

After letting the word pour from her lips, the surrounding area explodes out and away from her! As the dust clears, her body is covered in a transparent white energy that ripples and dances around her elegent frame.

**Wolverine:** 'Whoa. "Flash cry"; impressive.'

She smiles at the mutant's comment without taking her eyes off of the hollow. The creature seems to sense her increase in power, because it turns to her and attacks with two of its mighty fists! The female completely dissappears from sight as she goes to meet her attacker head on. Within a blink of an eye, she is spotted again just at the base of the hollow's head; the two fists completely avoided it would seem. Suddenly, the said appendages rip and explode, spilling a great amount of black blood all over the white sand! The hollow screams out in pain and shock as to what it's just now feeling. It brings its massive tail end up over its back to take a swing at the small female who once again dissappears from view, letting the tail smash into its owner with such force that it drives the hollow's masked head into the sand! She is next seen touching down beside Logan who turns to her with a grin on his face.

**Wolverine: **'Back when we were trainin'; there was no way I was gonna catch yer ribbon was there?'

She winks at the muscular man;

**Yoruichi:** 'Probably not.'

The tide of battle begins to turn as the monster is heavily wounded due to Yoruichi's attack. It shakes its massive head as it brings it out of the sand and roars in defiance! Shuuhei slices though an arm of his own by releasing his zanpakutou and Thor destroys one of the seven mouths adorning the hollow's face when he throws his weapon with amazing force. Dr. Strange confuses the hollow by conjuring a snake of fire around the beast as it tries to attack at random. Again, the creature rises to its full height as it balances on its tail and charges its six remaining mouths with energy. Just as Hulk, once again, emerges from the sand, the creature releases the six cero simultaneously at his persuers! Hulk shakes his head as the concussive red energy rockets towards him!

**Hulk:** 'I've had just about enough you feeding me dirt, ugly!'

Just as the energy is about to make contact, Hulk backhands the massive bolt of crimson straight back at its creator! The energy smashes the beast hard in its mask, destroying two of the salivating maws! The force of the impact rocks the beast and it topples backwards, creating a tsunami of sand when it hits the ground!

**Thor:** 'You art finished, monster.'

The god of thunder raises his hammer over his head and unleashes a massive lightning bolt that blows right through the hollow's throat! The creature lets out a weak gurgled roar as it weaves, unsteadily, from side to side.

**Thor:** 'Mjolnir's lightning tis not enough to fell the beast?'

Through the din of battle, no one heard Ichigo unleash his Bankai but they do see the much smaller ebony blade he wields now. He holds Tensa Zangetsu near his side and black energy begins to swirl around the blade. He brings his zanpakutou up and over his head before saying;

**Ichigo:** 'Getsuga Tenshou!'

He swings his sword down hard and the energy archs away from the blade and doesn't stop until it splits the hollow's mask right down the middle! One last roar is heard as the creature vanishes into nothing. The group slowly walks to within a few feet of the smoking and charred spot where the hollow just was. Everyone looks at each other with a renewed determination as they now know exactly what awaits them in this land forever blanketed in darkness.

**Editor's note: We're moving in the next week so if the next chapter comes a little late I apologize in advance. I hope you continue to find my story entertaining, because I enjoy writing it! Happy Reading!**


	28. Rescue

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Rescue**

For a minute more the group walks in silence before Stephen speaks to his mutant teammate.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Logan, did you say that you could not detect the scent of Thanos on that monster that we just battled?'

**Wolverine:** 'Yeah; the only thin' I smelled on it was death. No Thanos, no Psylocke.'

**Yoruichi:** 'I'm not surprised; this world has countless hollow. In fact, when I was captain, soul society feared to even come here. It was later made into law that if anyone did come here, they'd be lost forever.'

**Hulk:** 'Not the most supportive bunch.'

As the seven continue to search for anything that could lead them to the female telepath, Shuuhei becomes lost in thought and starts to trail behind ever so slightly. Picking up on this, the mystic slows his pace so that he can walk beside the spikey-haired soul reaper.

**Dr. Strange:** 'What troubles you Shuuhei; is it Betsy?'

The lean man looks away from the wise, peircing eyes of the sorcerer before finally speaking.

**Shuuhei:** 'Yoruichi-san and Ichigo have been avoiding the subject, but I know that they're thinking about it. We've traveled to the same place that has become home to... Cap- no - Aizen, Gin and... my former captain.'

Picking up on the conversation, Yoruichi and the rest stop moving to listen. Shuuhei clenches his fist as his emotions start to get the better of him.

**Shuuhei: **'As the defection happened and I found out that they had escaped punishment, I knew I would cross blades with Tousen one day. I didn't think I would be so close to that chance now though.'

He hangs his head as he grips the hilt of Kazeshini. Yoruichi walks up to him and puts a hand on his shoulder as she waits for him to look at her.

**Yoruichi:** 'We're here on a recovery mission, Hisagi-san; was you're dramatic speach back in soul society just lip service? Are you going to jeopardize our purpose here? What would happen to Psylocke if you confronted your traitorous ex-captain?'

The female's words are low and cool and they seem to hit the man in front of her hard as he jolts out of his conflicted revery!

**Shuuhei:** 'Y-you're right; I risked everything to come here and save Betsy. I'll remain patient and open Tousen's eyes when the time is right.'

He steps around the smaller woman and takes point as he walks past Wolverine. Logan looks after the taller reaper and then turns his head to Yoruichi.

**Wolverine:** 'Ya sure have a way with words, darlin.'

The former captain playfully rolls her eyes at the mutant as the group resumes their trek. As they walk, the god of thunder watches the vast moon-lit sky. He sees two winged hollow fly over-head, but they do not change course to attack.

**Thor: **'Doth every hollow in this realm be of a thretening nature?'

They continue to walk as she contemplates the blonde-haired god's question.

**Yoruichi:** 'The world of hueco mundo is mostly unknown to the majority of soul society. As you've no doubt figured out, Kisuke, Tessai and I work loosely with the head captain, but outside the jurisdiction of the society's laws.'

Thor doesn't interupt, and by this time Dr. Strange starts to listen as well.

**Yoruichi:** 'Even with Kisuke's abilities and reletive freedom, we still don't fully understand how much a soul that's become a hollow, retains of its former humanity. Our theory is that, just like there can be evil soul reapers, there should also be the possibility that there are good hollow.'

The thunderer nods his understanding and again takes to watching the starless sky. As they walk, Logan repeatedly sniffs the air for any trace of his mutant teammate or Thanos. Occasionally, Dr. Strange is seen throwing out his hands and Ichigo leans over to Wolverine to ask;

**Ichigo:** 'What's he doing?'

Logan looks at the mystic and after a second he shrugs.

**Wolverine:** 'Ask him yerself.'

Ichigo's jaw drops for a second before he regains his composure.

**Ichigo:** 'He's your friend; I thought you'd know!'

**Wolverine:** 'Bub, I hardly ever know what that mystic does.'

The substitute slowly looks back to where the sorcerer is and says;

**Ichigo:** 'So, what are you doing with your hands?'

After a few seconds of silence from Stephen, he finally answers the youth.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I am sending out invisible magickal probes that will assist Logan in finding traces of Psylocke or Thanos. They have a greater range than our mutant friend's nose and I will be alerted directly if they detect anything.'

After hearing the mystic's explanation, the orange-haired teen rubs the back of his head as he looks to Logan for an explanation. The mutant, in turn, shrugs and looks at him as if to say "I told you so". They walk for a moment longer before Strange stops and points off to his right.

**Dr. Strange: **'My magicks have detected a portion of Thanos!'

The group starts to run in the direction Stephen pointed to, and within minutes, Logan chimes in;

**Wolverine:** 'Oh yeah; about twenty different "Thanos" portions.'

**Yocuichi:** 'Logan's right; Shuuhei, do you feel them?'

**Shuuhei:** 'I do. Hollow that've been changed by that monster.'

The female smiles a tight, focused smile as they continue to run. Shortly they slow their pace as they see a group of hollow scattered loosly around a large sandune. They each bare a resemblance to the their creator Thonos. Hulk counts six large hollow; each easily over ten feet tall! As he looks each one over trying to size them up, he takes notice of their features. One is covered in fur that is badly matted and its mask is tri-horned, with the bottom resembling the titan's large chin. Another has spikes jutting out all over its back; the hollow's skin is smooth and its muscles can be seen rippling just under the surface. The third one Hulk looks at is a giant mass of goo; nothing solid to its body as its mask and hole move as it moves, with no apparent set position. The fourth hollow has wings adorning its malnourished frame. Nearly every bone of the hollow's body can be seen, almost sticking out from its humanoid form. Its hole is large and takes the place where the creature's stomach should be. The fifth hollow that the jade giant looks at is two-headed with each one wearing a portion of Thanos' visage. Where its legs should be are multiple tentacles that squirm and move as if they each had a mind of their own. Finally, the last hollow that's near-by is snake-like in appearance and it has large frills on the sides of its head behind its mask. This one, Hulk notices, doesn't have a mask that resembles their nemesis at all. Just then, the hollow must've detected the spiritual pressure of the soul reapers, because they look in the direction of the group, and three of them roar as they start to charge the gathered force!

**Wolverine:** 'Five'll get ya ten, these guys ain't here by chance!'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Agreed; bring them down as fast as we can. There assuredly are more hollow where these few have come from.'

The heroes and reapers spread out to take on the advancing creatures. Hulk plants his feet firmly into the white sand and waits for the spiked-back hollow with the rippling muscles to meet him. An audible "SNIKT" can be heard as Wolverine pops his adamantium laced claws and runs to meet the multi-tentacled creature with the two heads. Thor launches his hammer at the large snake-like hollow; before the Uru metal can connect with mask, the creature quickly burrows itself beneath the sand! With the force that Mjolnir was thrown, it gets buried into a mound of sand behind where the the thunderer's target had just been. Odin's Son frowns at the rare miss as he holds out his right hand commandingly. Almost immediately his hammer emerges from its temporary resting spot and races towards its owner's hand. Right before the mighty weapon reaches the god's outstretched fingers, he is knocked of his feet by the resurfacing snake creature! With the mental connection severed, the hammer crashes in a cloud of dust in the sand. Ichigo unravels his zanpakutou from its wrappings and meets the gelatinous hollow head on.'

**Ichigo: **'Bankai!'

In a flash of imploding energy, Zangetsu transforms and the substitute's kimono shrinks to fit his form. He flashes forward, nearly disapearing using his increased speed. He blows by Dr. Strange, making the sorcerer's cape billow in his wake. The mystic takes to the air as he decides to take on the creature with the large wings. Yoruichi and Shuuhei are seen taking on the final modified hollow with the three horns and fur covering its entire body. The hairy creature plants its taloned feet firmly in the sand as the two close in on it. The former captain's eyes go wide briefly before pushing Hisagi out of the way of a charging cero emanating from the center of the hollow's three horns! The energy beam narrowly misses both soul reapers as it turns the hill behind them into a smoking crater. Meanwhile, Hulk and the spikey hollow have engaged each other in battle. The jade giant is a little surprised at how fast his opponent is despite its size. He has already missed with two monstrous swings from his strong arms and he can hear the creature almost laugh behind its mask! Hulk grits his teeth and rushes in for another attack but this time the hollow takes the offensive by reaching behind its back and pulling out two of its spikes! It uses one of the spikes as a sword and cuts Hulk across his forearm, while using the other to stab him through his thick thigh! Hulk growls with the pain, but ignores the shaft in his leg as his forearm has already healed. The hollow seems to be surprised at how little its attack had on its enemy because it staggers back momentarily at the behemoth's advance. As Hulk nears his target, he takes out the spike that's embedded into his thigh and launches it at the hollow! It catches the creature in the shoulder and sinks in deep, coming out through its back! The hollow screams in pain while grabbing its wounded shoulder. While Hulk battles on, Logan has his claws full with his own hollow. The creature won't let Wolverine near him as its many tentacles are giving the canucklehead all that he can handle! The mutant growls in frustration as he tries to use all of his newly learned speed to compensate for the multitude of appendages that are attacking him! He dodges and weaves, slicing and carving as he goes, but no matter how many of the limbs he hacks off, there seems to be no end to this onslaught. Ichigo has taken his fight with the liquified hollow to the other side of the dune. He's fired off four Getsuga Tenshou already and looking at the hollow it would seem none of them have met their mark! Behind the transparent bulbous mass are four deep gouges in the sand where the boy's attacks hit. He uses his speed to make several duplicates of himself to try and confuse the creature. Its mask moves in an unseen current as it doesn't even try to locate the real Ichigo. Finally, the orange-haired soul reaper presses his advantage by rushing in and aiming directly for the slow floating mask. He draws back and comes down hard with a swing of his ebony blade, but just before he makes contact, the mask sinks within its body and moves off to the side! The youth has built up so much momentum that his attack slices completely through the water-like substance and as his sword passes through the hollow's body, he hits the unknown substance face first! With the sound of a diver hitting water, Ichigo becomes submerged in the liquid that is the creature's body! Yoruichi and Shuuhei regroup and take the fight to their fur-covered enemy. The former ninth squad lieutenant unleashes his zanpakutou as the former captain of squad two uses kido to attack the hollow.

**Yoruichi:** 'Bakudo number 21; sekienton!'

The female throws out her hand toward the creature and within seconds a huge plume of red smoke appears out of nowhere and engulfs her target! Shuuhei smiles as he uses this distraction to his advantage. He takes Kazeshini, now sepatated into his double bladed form, by his long thin chain and throws both ends out and into the smoke. Seconds pass and he withdraws the blades; now covered in black blood! When the smoke finally dissapates, the hairy hollow is no more. Yoruichi smiles at the black-haired soul reaper and then nods with her chin.

**Yoruichi:** 'Lets split up and help the others.'

**Shuuhei: **'I'll help Thor-san!'

They split up from there to help the others. Dr. Strange has blocked every single attack his winged advesary has thrown at him. The creature is extremely fast but with Stephen's knowledge of the arcane, he had constructed a magickal barrier around himself before the battle had even begun. The hollow breaks off its attack to climb to a higher altitude. Strange looks up to see the sickly creature throw out its wings to their full length as they start to gather orbs of red energy at their tips.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I have seen all that I care to of this attack you creatures call "cero".'

He quickly summons two crimson bands of Cyttorak to entangle the wings of his foe. The orbs of energy the creature was creating dissapear and it screams in surprise. As it falls to the white sand below, Yoruichi silently comes up from the ground to meet it in mid-air. She reaches out with her bare hand and slices through the emaciated hollow with ease, splitting its crimson shackles as well! The former captain smirks at the mystic before snapping her head in the direction where Ichigo is fighting his own hollow.

**Yoruichi:** 'We have to help Ichigo!'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I will follow your lead.'

The two race off to try and rescue the drowning substitute! Meanwhile, Shuuhei kicks up sand as he skips over the ground to help the god of thunder. As he nears the fumming warrior, he spots the thunderer's hammer laying head-first in the sand. The tattooed soul reaper stops momentarily to retrieve the weapon from its resting spot.

**Shuuhei:** 'I believe you'll need this to rescue Betsy. Here, I'll - hngh!'

He tries to pick up the reletively small weapon by the leather strap attached to the base of the hammer, but he can't lift the weight!

**Shuuhei:** 'What?'

He tries again to lift the weapon, this time with more force, but the results are the same. Thor crunches white sand underfoot as he approaches the soul reaper.

**Thor:** 'Yon efforts art futile Shuuhei Hisagi. Odin's Son declares you a fine warrior indeed, but tis not **me **that judges you this day.'

The reaper looks up at the tall blonde with confusion in his eyes.

**Thor:** 'Mjolnir be enchanted with great magick; **he **deems his wielder's worth.'

He spreads his fingers wide and the hammer lifts up out of the sand and rushes to his hand. A light wind blows his golden locks around his face and rustles his cape that flows off of his borrowed kimono as he reaches his free hand out to his companion. The black-haired reaper takes it as he gets to his feet.

**Thor:** 'Come; let us aid our allies in battle!'

**Shuuhei:** 'Where did the hollow that you were fighting go?'

**Thor:** 'It be an elusive and cowardly creature. It hath a way to manipulate the sand of this world. I wilt finish it off when the time is right.'

The two start to head off to help Wolverine, when Hisagi points in the direction that Dr. Strange and Yoruichi went.

**Shuuhei:** 'I'll help your clawed friend if you help Yoruichi free Ichigo!'

The god of thunder nods and alters his course. Dr. Strange and Yoruichi arrive to help their younger partner and find him clutching at his throat as the last vestiges of oxygen escape his lips in the form of bubbles! Yoruichi dissapears from sight and attempt to destroy the liquified hollow using her flash cry technique. Within miliseconds, the hollow separates into three sections and her orange-haired student looks to be free, only for the hollow to re-form and trap the substitute once more! The beautiful woman looks to Dr. Strange with a look of panic in her golden eyes. The mystic closes his eyes and moves his fingers into an intricate pattern, and suddenly, the sand around the gelatinous blob freezes over as its entire body becomes solid ice! Still inside, Ichigo, seemingly too, succumbs to the deep freeze as he still clutches at his throat.

**Yoruichi:** 'He's going to die!'

Before she can look back at the crystalized hollow, Thor touches down next to the fiend.

**Thor:** 'The youth shalt not parish under mine watch!'

He brings his hammer down hard, striking the hollow on its mask, and the entire creature shatters into a thousand shards! Ichigo falls to his hands and knees, coughing and sputtering, as he sucks in gulps of air. Yoruichi flash steps to his side and kneels beside him, putting a soft hand on his back.

**Yoruichi:** 'How did you know that your ice wouldn't freeze Ichigo as well?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I analized that creature's composition before casting my solidifying spell. I made sure that no matter how close the liquid was to the boy, he would not be harmed. He could not move, but he was perfectly safe when Thor destroyed its mask.'

Yoruichi smiles in relief and shakes her head as she gets up from the still coughing teen.

**Ichigo:** 'There wasn't... another way... you could've... got me out...?'

Thor smiles as he reaches down and pats Ichigo on the back, making the last bit of liquid spew from his mouth. With one strong hand, the thunderer lifts him up off of the sand and stands him up.

**Thor: **'Yon bravado inspires me, Ichigo. I am eager to carry Mjolnir into battle along side thy Zangetsu!'

Ichigo shifts his eyes to Yoruichi who shrugs and nods her head to where the others are still engaged in battle. The four head off to see how Hulk, Shuuhei and Wolverine are fairing. Shuuhei has joined up with Logan to take on his multi-tentacled hollow. While dodging four of the creatures attacks, Wolverine acknowledges Hisagi's arrival.

**Wolverine:** 'I didn't ask fer any help bub; I can take this octopus on my own!'

The soul reaper slices off two tentacles and replies;

**Shuuhei:** 'If you can take it, than why haven't you beaten it yet?'

The mutant smirks and renews his assault on the creature. Hisagi dodges a cero blast and throws out his hand to retaliate.

**Shuuhei:** 'Hado number 31, shakkaho!'

A sphere of crimson energy fires from his outsretched hand and hits the creature in its left head! The hollow roars in protest and slams ten of its tentacles roughly into the ground. Seconds later, the appendages break the surface of the sand and entangle the soul reaper in their grasp! Wolverine turns to help, but he has his own tentacles to deal with at the moment. Logan slashes and hacks his way through ten tentacles and as more seem to come at him, he flash steps closer to the creature to come within arms length of it. One of the hollow's heads turns to see the small mutant close in, and it fires a concentrated cero directly through Wolverine's shoulder! Logan howls in pain but continues his advancement as he cuts off the beast's right arm at the elbow! This blow weakens the tentacles that are holding Hisagi and he quickly recovers and throws Kazeshini out to cut away the flailing tentacles. He flash steps behind the creature and while Wolverine has one of its heads distracted, he slices through the other's mask with both of his spinning blades! The other head roars in pain and all of its tentacles point upward at the two attackers. Suddenly, every single one of the hollow's seventy-five extra appendages start to generate energy for cero! The soul reaper and mutant act as one as they unleash their full fury on the one remaing mask. Wolverine cuts low and Hisagi uses his zanpakutou to slice high, and an instant before the creature releases its crimson onslaught, it disintegrates into nothing! Wolverine lands on the sand and spits where the battle took place.

**Wolverine:** 'So much fer my new costume; it's already ripped.'

The soul reaper touches down shortly after his mutant companion and looks down at the shoulder that was damaged.

**Hisagi:** 'Are you sure? Look again, Logan-san.'

**Wolverine:** 'What?'

He looks down at his now healed shoulder for the first time since getting a hole blown through it. Along with the renewed muscle and tendons, the part of the costume that covers his shoulder is unscathed! He smiles in awe as he reaches up and brushes the material off.

**Wolverine:** 'Huh; Kisuke's full o' surprises.'

Meanwhile, Hulk is getting the upper hand on his opponent, who has annoyed the jade giant, more than harm him. After burying the creature's own spike into its shoulder, Hulk leaps the remaining distance that separates him and the spiked-back hollow. He draws back his huge fist and strikes the beast right on the side of its Thanos-like jaw! The force of the blow cracks its mask and makes the hollow stagger. Hulk follows it up by grabbing the hollow by the sides of its mask, like he's wrestling a bull, and forces it to the ground. The beast tries to fight from its stomach, but because of Hulk's massive strength and sheer size, the attempts are futile. The jade giant stands over his advesary, and with two quick moves, snaps the hollow's neck and tears the head away from its body with a wet ripping sound! The head, along with the body, slowy turn to nothing as everyone else joins their comrade. Hulk looks down at his healed thigh and notices his pants have also stitched themselves back together, almost as fast as his body healed. Shuuhei looks to where the hollow was and then back up to Hulk with an uneasy expression.

**Hulk:** 'What? Not all of us have fancy swords to get the job done.'

Shuuhei looks back towards the large dune that the hollow were gathered around.

**Shuuhei:** 'Why do you think they were around this spot? I sense more hollow but there doesn't seem to be an entrance anywhere around here.'

Just then the ground rumbles beneath their feet and the large snake hollow breaks the surface momentarily before diving back under the sand. Thor looks up and reaches for his hammer to finish his fight with the elusive creature. Before he takes flight, Logan puts a hand on his arm and snarls;

**Wolverine:** 'I got this one goldilocks.'

Before the thunderer can protest the mutant vanishes before his blue eyes. As Logan flash steps across the sand, his hightened eyesight sees a small wake of sand being created as the creature he's tracking moves. His ears pick up the sound of churning sand as his prey burrows just below the surface. His lips curl up into a tight smile as he pops his claws, readying his attack. He leaps into the air and comes down claws first as he pierces the sand. Due to the hollow's burrowing, the sand right below Logan is softer than normal, and his arms sink deep into the gritty particles. His razor-sharp adamantium claws take little time to find purchase in the hollow's hide, and suddenly, Wolverine is drug underground with the creature! He squints through the debri that's being flung all around him as his target moves, all the while, inching forward by stabbing and re-stabbing the hollow with his claws. With every new puncture, the beast screams out in pain and finally it breaks the surface once more to try and throw its attacker. Wolverine was counting on this, as he couldn't do much damage in the space that he was in. Logan flash steps up the back of the hollow and in one precise movement, he uses his signature weapons and slices the creature's head clean off! He leaps off of the slowly evaporating hollow, and as he touches down, its head hits the ground in a cloud of dust before dissovling into nothing as well. Shortly, the others join their feral companion and Dr. Strange breaks the silence.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I realize that we are on an important mission, but was it necessary, I wonder, to destroy that hollow? After all, it looked as if it was only trying to escape.'

**Wolverine:** 'It was attackin' us earlier; I say if we didn't kill it now, it'll come back with reinforcements. Am I right darlin'?'

The scrapper turns to Yoruichi and folds his arms expectantly.

**Yoruichi:** 'Logan's right, Stephen. You seem to want to preserve life at all cost, and I respect that, but we can't afford to let our gaurd down. From my experiance, hollow wouldn't give you the same courtesy.'

The doctor looks in the direction of where the hollow fell and then nods his head in reluctant understanding. Wolverine walks over to where the creature made its exit and looks down into the dark hole. He can feel wind blowing up out of it and takes in the scents of the remaining hollow that he smelled earlier. He motions to the others to follow him;

**Wolverine:** 'Well, it might not be the real entrance, but I think the snake gave away its buddies.'

Dr. Strange creates an orb of light and leads the way down the dark tunnel. Logan takes the rear and surveys the surface once more to make sure nothing's following them. Shortly the tunnel leads the group into a large underground cavern with what looks like huge trees growing through the roof of the area! Hulk walks over to one of the structures and places his hand on the cool surface. He realizes that it's not bark, but rather, a crystaline substance. He uses his finger and taps the material; a slight tinkling reverberates around him.

**Hulk:** 'Huh; these trees go all the way to the surface. Those tiny bushes we saw up there are probably these thing's tips.'

**Wolverine:** 'Thanks fer the science lesson, bub; let's just hope these things aren't holdin' the roof up. I might have ta take a couple o' these pillars out if we run across the rest of these hollow.'

Logan takes point as the group continues into the dark cavernous area. Every few feet, Dr. Strange creates an orb of light and tosses it out into the pitch to better light their way. Suddenly Logan holds up his hand as he stops abruptly.

**Wolverine:** 'They're close; I can smell 'em.'

Yoruichi and Shuuhei nod as they begin to sense a mass of spiritual pressures. Within moments, the once vacant space fills with thirteen bodies of varying height and weight. The group sets up in defensive positions but the hollow don't attack. Low growls and snarls break the silcence and the creatures salivate as they anticipate their next meal. After a few seconds of thick tension, the mob of hollow part down the middle to let two others walk to the front. Wolverine narrows his blue eyes and bares his teeth as the two dressed in white approach. One stands about 6'1" and has shoulder length black hair that parts down the middle, with his bangs covering the outside of his eyes. He is slender, but strongly built and he wears an expression of what looks like complete sadness. His neck and left shoulder are covered in a white bony armor. His partner is female, standing at 5'8" with neck-length blonde hair. She has white spines jutting out from the right side of her face and bright golden eyes that are surrounded by pitch black. Wolverine sniffs the air and verbally confirms to the others what he suspected since laying eyes on her;

**Wolverine:** 'This dame's the one that nabbed Betsy.'

The girl in front of them tilts her head slightly and smiles before whispering.

**?: **'Oh, so the mutant has a name. Rrurikio; Thanos never called her anything but "mutant" or "insignificant female".

Logan darts his eyes to the male who just nods his head. He clenches his fists and the backs of his hands begin to itch as his claws beg to be released. From behind the mutant, Hisagi speaks up with a tone that makes even Logan listen.

**Shuuhei:** 'Arrancar; if you've hurt our ally I'll destroy you where you stand.'

The female arrancar shifts her weight and rests her hand on the hilt of her sword before locking her golden eyes on the soul reaper. Her taller companion looks down at her and speaks in a somber tone.

**Rrurikio:** 'Llibelula, the mutant was alive the last time we saw her, correct?'

**Llibelula:** 'I think so. Thanos wanted us to keep her safe from his persuers.'

Dr. Strange speaks up this time as the tension seems to be almost tangible.

**Dr. Strange:** 'You speak of our enemy as if you were to gain something from your partnership. Thanos destroys everything he lays his eyes on; he cares nothing for you or this world you call home.'

**Llibelula: **'We have the same goal at the moment. I'm tired of all this talk; didn't you come here to save your precious teammate? You'll have to get through us first.'

Wolverine bares his canines as he practically snarls;

**Wolverine:** 'With pleasure darlin'!'

Before the two sides clash, the male arrancar holds up his hand and a second later the thirteen hollow split and surround the group of heroes and soul reapers.

**Hulk:** 'Finally; I thought you two were gonna talk us to death.'

The jade giant throws out his elbow and breaks apart one of the trees lining the area. He picks up a large chunk and hurls it at a nearby hollow, destroying the creature before it can attack! With that, the battle is joined as the group of seven take on the mob of twelve. Dr. Strange takes note, before he engages two of his own hollow, that the two arrancar hold back for a moment to better understand the fighting styles of their opponents. The god of thunder starts to take to the air when the largest hollow of the bunch wraps two of its four arms around Thor's chest, pinning his arms and hammer to his sides! The back of the thunderer's head rams into the hollow's cheek and the force of the blow loosens the iron grip of the creature. Thor turns around and slams the head of Mjolnir into the solarplexus of the monster and then follows that up with a strong left hook that sends the hollow crashing into the near-by rock face! Ichigo, who had powered down from his Bankai earlier, takes three hollow out in quick succession with fierce determination! Yoruichi and Wolverine flash step almost in unison to take out two enemies as Shuuhei by-passes two hollow to get closer to the two arrancar. He draws Kazeshini from his sheath and heads straight for the female that kidnapped Psylocke! She looks up at his rage-fueled face and the tiniest smile crosses her features before she is blocked intirely from view by her taller companion. Hisagi brings his sword down hard but his attack is blocked by the bare arm of Rruikio!

**Rrurikio:** 'Don't insult us with that attack; you should be able to tell how much power we possess.'

He pushes the soul reaper back with enough force to send him back into the two hollow that he avoided just seconds before. One of the creatures takes a bite out of Hisagi's shoulder and rips skin as well as the black band he wears around his arm! The tattooed reaper grimaces from the pain but ignores it momentarily to stab his other opponent through the throat! Free for the moment, he flash steps a few feet away and watches as the two beasts clamor over each other to try and be the first to get to their prize. A few seconds later, as they're both tangled together, the band that the one creature bit off explodes, destroying both hollow where they stand! Hisagi looks back at the two Arrancar and calmly calls out;

**Shuuhei:** 'Reap, Kazeshini.'

Meanwhile, Stephen has taken the two hollow that ganged up on him and placed them into a pocket universe for a mere two minutes. When he releases them, all that appears are two masks that shatter and dissolve once they hit the ground! He calmly takes on the last two with the same technique he used just moments before. After punching his enemy into the rock face, Thor walks over and pulls it from the rubble only to bring his hammer down once more onto the creatures mask! After the hollow turns to nothing, The thunderer focusses his attention in the direction of his group's last two opponents. The two arrancar casually walk to the center of the large area to face off against the seven warriors. Wolverine, again, leaps to the front of the pack and bares his razor-sharp claws at his enemies. He's so blinded by rage that he rushes forward to attack the girl head on! He lets out a blood-chilling howl as he closes in on his target and just before his foot-long blades find their mark, Llibelula vanishes with the sound of emploding air and then strikes him hard from the side! The others watch in shock as their ally is thrown hard through three crystiline trees and is then buried in rock and debri as he crashes into a side of the cave! The female hollow turns to her male companion and closes her as she says;

**Llibelula:** 'See? Staying out of his reach does work.'

**Rrurikio:** 'It appears that Thanos gave his advsaries too much credit.'

Hulk pushes past Dr. Strange and rumbles;

**Hulk:** 'Nobody beats on that guy but **me**.'

The jade giant and Shuuhei charge into battle and their two opponents meet them in the middle. Hulk takes on Rrurikio as the soul reaper unleashes a flurry of offense on Llibelula. The much larger, gamma-irradiated Hulk takes a swing at his smaller enemy and the black-haired arrancar deftly avoids the massive fist as the wind created by the attack rustles the forlorn man's hair. Llibelula evades every attack by Shuuhei just as easily; her speed is phenomenal as it takes all of his concentration to keep up with her movements! He tries to switch tactics by using kidou, coupled with the onslought by his zanpakutou.

**Shuuhei:** 'You monster! Tell me where Psylocke is! Hado, number four; byakurai!'

After throwing out one of Kazeshini's blades, he points his right index finger at the place where the blonde girl dodges to. A bolt of blue lightning shoots out from his outstretched finger and catches her momentarily off gaurd! She barely has time to get her arms up to block the assault and the resulting explosion engulfs her form! Hisagi quickly brings the first blade he sent out back to him and through the smoke he hears a light tearing sound. The sound of the explosion distracts her partner and he turns his head away from his green-hued opponent.

**Hulk:** 'Bad move.'

The green goliath brings his hands back and then slams them together, creating an arch of sound and force that sends the arrancar back several feet into another tree-like structure. Hulk smirks proudly as one of his attacks finally hit their mark. Whithin the minutes of the two battles Yoruichi turns to Dr. Strange who has his cloak wrapped protectively around his shoulders as he watches the events in front of him unfold.

**Yoruichi:** 'You're pretty calm about all of this. I'll tell you that these arrancar haven't even begun to fight yet. If we don't help, this could get dangerous.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I sense that this battle is not what it seems. I will not tip my hand until I am certain that I must. I also do not detect Thanos anywhere near this place; so that concerns me as well.'

Ichigo looks back and forth at the two as they casually talk while the battle rages on in front of them.

**Ichigo:** 'I've never seen an arrancar, or whatever you call them, but even I can tell they're strong! We have to help them!'

**Thor:** 'Ichigo. Odin's son hath known Stephen Strange many years; if he sayeth this doth not concern us, then it must be so. Yon time wilt come.'

The orange-haired substitute frowns but hesitates slightly at the comanding voice of the god of thunder. Meanwhile, the smoke has cleared from Shuuhei's attack and it reveals an unharmed Llibelula! Hisagi's expression of shock only makes the female happier as she smiles at his surprise. The soul reaper looks down to find the result of the tearing sound he heard just moments before. The white, form-fitting pants that she wears are slightly torn just under her calf where the material is free-flowing.

**Shuuhei:** 'I missed?'

**Llibelula:** 'Don't sound so shocked; though I do have to applaud your strategy. It was very creative.'

He glares at her as he recovers his composure. Rrurikio lifts himself out of the whole that his body made in the thick tree, leaving behind hundred of shards of crystal in his wake. Hulk charges at his enemy with the force of a freight train! He leads with another right hook and the arrancar blocks the blow with both of his forearms. The force of the attack sends the powerful hollow back into the tree, this time shattering it completely! The sound of their battle carries over to Llibelula's ears and it's her turn to be concerned. Hisagi takes the oppurtunity to use another kidou spell on her.

**Shuuhei:** 'Bakudo number four; hainawa!'

A yellow colored energy rope shoots out from his hand and the binding spell entangles the arrancar's arms, tying them to her sides! He quickly follows it up with another destructive spell;

**Shuuhei:** 'Hado number 31; shakkaho!'

A red ball of energy forms in the open palm of his outstretched hand and shoots out toward his blonde advesary! Her eyes go wide and she opens her mouth but not in surprise, but rather to form an energy ball of her own in the form of a golden colored cero! The two energy balls meet head on and the fallout blows both combatants away from each other! Llibelula gets to her feet and breaks her restraints, but before she can make a move to take advantage of the situation, Wolverine flash steps to her blind side and she barely has time to bring up her left arm to defend herself! He slashes quick and hard with his claws, drawing blood, and then kicks her hard in the abdomen; sending her back several yards! Rrurikio fends off Hulk's next assualt and fires his own black cero from his palm, sending Hulk crashing through several trees as well! He sonidos over to his wounded partner and glares at the short scrapper.

**Wolverine:** 'Come on bub; yer glare makes me wanna puke. Tell us where Psylocke is and we'll end ya quick.'

The arrancar ignores Wolverine's insults as he looks down at the female. She looks at her light wound and then back up at who gave it to her. After a few seconds she whispers;

**Llibelula:** 'It's been a long time since I've seen my own blood; I almost forgot I **could **bleed. Good for you. Rrurikio, I'm tired of defending something that may not even be alive anymore. What good will a corpse do them anyway?'

**Rrurikio:** 'I agree. We've done what was requested of us.'

Without any further words, the two vanish before everyone's eyes. Dr. Strange and the others walk to where Wolverine is standing. Shuuhei hangs his head as he heard what the female said.

**Shuuhei:** '... Logan-san... do you believe that girl?'

Wolverine looks at the soul reaper and frowns.

**Wolverine:** 'I smelled Betsy all over her. There was the smell o' blood too, but that could mean anythin'. Best thin' to do is look fer her, right bub?'

Shuuhei grips the hilt of his now reverted zanpakutou and walks past the short mutant. Logan shakes his head and follows after him. A second later, Hulk is heard emerging from his temporary resting spot.

**Hulk:** 'Damn cero; I hate that stuff. Thanks for waiting for me by the way.'

The group slows down to wait for the lumbering behemoth. He looks down at Logan;

**Hulk:** 'Good thing that girl didn't kill you; I might have gotten sad.'

**Wolverine:** 'Don't worry bub, I'll be around fer awhile ta keep kickin' yer ass.'

Hulk shakes his head as the group continues onward. The large cavernous area soon becomes slightly narrow and then splits off into three sections. Logan sniffs the air and points off to the furthest opening on the right. They wearily traverse the tunnel, looking for anything that might surprise them. The tunnel soon opens up to a fairly large room also lined with crystiline trees. In the center of the room is a shackled, purple-haired mutant!

**Shuuhei: **'Betsy!'

He flash steps over to her and uses Kazeshini to free her from her bonds. She weakly clings to him as she breathes his name;

**Psylocke:** 'O' Shuu'ei! You all came to rescue me! Thank you so much, Thanos 'ad me attack you against my will. I'm so sorry.'

**Thor:** 'Tis not your doing X-Man, Thanos wilt surely pay for his misdeads.'

They turn to walk out of the room and as they do, Logan hangs back, sniffing at the air. Yoruichi turns her head;

**Yoruichi:** 'What's wrong Logan?'

**Wolverine:** 'I don't know... I've picked up on this scent once before back in soul society, but nothin' came of it.'

He continues to sniff at the air as he walks around the area. His mutant teammate, exhausted from her ordeal, speaks up from Shuuhei's shoulder.

**Psylocke:** 'Logan, dear, I'm awfully tired; can we just leave this place?'

He holds up a gloved hand as he continues his olefactory investigation.

**Wolverine:** 'Yeah, just give me a minute will ya?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Logan, I do not believe this is the best place for Betsy to be in given her current state.'

The mutant bloodhound walks over to where Psylocke is propped up under Hisagi's arm.

**Wolverine:** 'I couldn't agree with ya more doc!'

In one quick movement he yanks the telepath out and away from the soul reaper and before anyone can react, he pops his claws and impales his longtime teammate on them!

In all of their shock, only the youngest of them says anything.

**Ichigo:** 'Bastard!'

The purple-haired female's eyes go wide before she slowly starts to bleed out while everyone looks on! Without turning around, Logan pulls out his black, blood-covered claws and kicks the female away from him. He flash steps to where she is and attacks with another swipe from his claws; this time to her face! The woman screams out and then slowly fades into nothing before everyone's eyes!

**Wolverine:** 'Ya might be right kid, but I had ta trust my instincts. That wasn't Betsy; last time I checked, Psylocke bled red.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'This double fooled even my perception. Thanos had made that hollow in such a way that it mimicked Psylocke nearly to the core. How did you smell the difference?'

**Wolverine:** 'I might not've if it wasn't fer a day or so ago. I hate ta tell ya this, but ya got at least one mole, if not more, in Sei Rei Tei, darlin'.'

He turns to look at the former captain of squad two.

**Yoruichi:** 'Someone would've detected the hollow's spiritual pressure. It would take great skill or an untraceable gigai for them to go undetected for long.'

**Wolverine:** 'I don't know about all that, but I can tell ya that if Strange can't tell the difference in one o' our **own**, then whatever Thanos did is pretty powerful. I'll do some diggin' when we get back, but fer now, we gotta find the real Betsy!'

He doesn't wait for the others to follow him as he heads back to the split in the cave. Without the distraction of another scent, he quickly picks up on his teammate's smell. This time he leads the group down the far left tunnel and for the next few minutes they walk in silence. Like the first tunnel, this one opens into a large area, but instead of being empty, this one has several machines placed around the room. In the middle of the rest of the machines sits a chair with a large domed head piece attached to it. In the chair is Psylocke covered from her breasts down in a white sheet with blood stains on it! The four heroes rush to her side and as they get a better look, they see needles and tubes stuck in various places in her bruised body.

**Wolverine: **'That son of a bitch.'

**Yoruichi:** 'Is she...?'

Logan listens and hears the faintest of heartbeats as he and Stephen answer at the same time.

**Dr. Strange/Wolverine:** 'No.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'She is on the **verge **of death though; we must hurry if we are to save her.'

Ever so carefuly, the mystic and Logan remove the needles and tubes that adorn Betsy's badly bruised body. There is a blood-stained cloth that covers her face and Shuuhei walks over to remove it. He grits his teeth and clenches the cloth at what he sees. The woman's cheeks are sunken and she has multiple bruises that line her beautiful face. Her left eye is swollen and bruised shut and she has dried blood that is smeared under lip, nose and ears. The soul reaper gently picks up her malnurished frame as Dr. Strange conjurs up a protective healing aura and places it around her body. As the group turns to leave, Logan turns to Thor and Hulk and says;

**Wolverine:** 'Ya feel like helpin' me destroy this place?'

Thor nods as he takes Mjolnir from his belt and the only answer Hulk gives is the cracking of his large knuckles! The three unleash their full rage and fury on the make-shift torture chamber. The hairy mutant slices through the machine that was holding his teammate against her will like it was made of paper. He destroys every last wire, restraining strap and sensor before moving on to something else. Hulk targets four large pole-like structures and pulverizes them into useless hunks of metal. Thor fries two chambers with lightning before smashing them into unrecognizable heaps of smoking scrap! The three make short work out of Thanos's workshop of horrors, and after a minute, rejoin their comrades. They don't even wait to get back to the surface as Dr. Strange begins the process for returning to Urahara's shop.

**Dr. Strange:** 'My right hand is the stone that bridges worlds. My left is the blade that binds reality. The black-haired shepherd is hung from a chair. Stratus clouds come, and I strike down the ibis.'

A minute passes before anything starts to happen.

**Ichigo: **'Are you sure you got it right? I don't want to be stuck here forever, I have school in a couple of days!'

Finally, a seam begins to form in space and a hole of swirling black nothingness opens up before the group. They step through the garganta and, as quick as they can, run back to try and save Psylocke's life!

**Editor's notes: Ah, another cliff hanger! But this one, I believe, is a really good place to stop for the time being. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much I enjoyed writing it! Happy reading! Please review.**


	29. Chasing Ghosts

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me; I humbly serve the powers that be.**

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Chasing Ghosts**

The garganta opens up to the familiar training grounds of Urahara's, as the group of seven exit with Psylocke in tow. As soon as they touch down, Yoruichi disappears from sight. A minute later she returns with Kisuke and Tessai right behind her. The former captain of squad twelve directs Shuuhei to set the mutant down on what looks like a white blanket that he brought with him. As he does, Tessai comes over and forms a green rectangular barrier around her barely breathing form. As all this is going on, Logan paces back and forth with a sense of powerlessness. Hulk and Thor stand back as well to give everyone else some room. Dr. Strange pulls Yoruichi aside to be aprised of the situation.

**Dr. Strange: **'It appears that Kisuke and Tessai know what they are doing.'

**Yoruichi:** 'We coudn't risk taking her all the way back to soul society and setting her up with Captain Unohana and the fourth squad. Tessai is the former captain of the kidou corps; if there's anyone **here **that can save your teammate, it's him.'

Stephen looks past the shorter woman's shoulder to the man in question. It looks as though he has her stabalized, and is now in the process of levitating the chamber to transport her to another location. At that moment, Kisuke walks over to the two as everyone else gathers as well.

**Kisuke: **'It's been a long time since I've seen trauma this severe.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Will she recover?'

**Kisuke: **'The soul can take a lot more punishment than a physical body. I'd say if she was put through that kind of torture physically, she'd be dead already. Tessai has surrounded her body in a type of healing kidou that he's developed over the last hundred years. I think we got to her just in time.'

There's an almost tangible weight that lifts from the group as they hear the news. Shuuhei lifts his head up for the first time after coming back from hueco mundo.

**Kisuke:** 'What did you learn from your adventure?'

**Yoruichi:** 'Thanos has found two arrancar to work with him. From how they spoke of him while we were there, it doesn't seem like the alliance is solid. They said that their goals were one and the same.'

Urahara scratches his scruffy chin as he contemplates his friend's words.

**Kisuke:** 'Stephen-san; didn't you say that Thanos wants nothing more than to destroy soul society?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I beleive that to be true. From what I have gathered so far he wants to obtain all the souls in that world, subjugate those in power, and finally lead them back to our world to conquer us. He feels that this will lead him to be favored by Death.'

The hatted man turns back to Yoruichi.

**Kisuke:** 'Two arrancar... did you sense Aizen anywhere around?'

**Yoruichi:** 'No; I think these two are independent of Aizen.'

**Kisuke: **'That's one less thing to worry about right now.'

Silence falls on the group for a few seconds before Logan speaks up.

**Wolverine:** 'Ya guys can do all the schemin' ya want, but first get me back ta soul society so I can hit somethin'! I need ta find those guys again.'

Urahara looks quizically at the smaller man in front of him.

**Kisuke: **'"Guys"?'

**Wolverine:** 'Yeah; I was walkin' 'round the fifth division the other night, mindin' my own business, when I picked up on a scent that wasn't right. I followed it to a group of soul reapers and when I went ta confront them, they ran like little girls.'

The hatted man pulls out his fan and opens it in front of his face.

**Kisuke:** 'Did you use the same tone you're using now?'

**Wolverine:** 'What? Of course! I asked a few simple questions and they nearly wet themselves.'

**Kisuke:** 'I don't know you very well Logan-san, but I'd say it takes someone with a strong constitution to be calm around you.'

**Wolverine:** 'What's that suppossed ta mean?'

Yoruichi breaks up the tension by calling out to Ichigo and Shuuhei.

**Yoruichi:** 'Hisagi, Ichigo; go with Logan back to soul society. Tell Soifon what's going on and have her alert the head captain.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I will go as well. Thor, Hulk; will you be coming with us?'

**Thor:** 'Verily. I wilt help in finding this impersonator.'

**Hulk: **'I can't think of anything I can do around here.'

The group gets together and waits for Shuuhei to open a Senkaimon to soul society. Dr. Strange bows to Kisuke and Yoruichi before he leaves to join the others. Shuuhei quietly steps up to where the heroes and Ichigo are gathered and unsheathes his zanpakutou. As Soifon did earlier, he stabs the air with Kazeshini and utters the word;

**Shuuhei: **'Unlock.'

As the wooden doors appear and begin to open, the tatooed soul reaper looks back over his shoulder one more time before following his comrades into the portal. It's nearly nightfall when the Senkaimon opens to the expanse of Sei Rei Tei. Within minutes of their arrival, Soifon appears with a look of anticipation on her face. After seconds of observation, she frowns slightly as she asks;

**Soifon:** 'Where's Yoruichi-sama?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'She stayed behind to assist Kisuke and his associates in attending to Psylocke.'

**Soifon:** 'You found the female? So your mission was successful.'

**Wolverine:** 'It's not that simple darlin'; Thanos managed ta mess her up pretty bad and now we need ta find a few spies among yer ranks.'

The captain tilts her head at the mutant's comments.

**Soifon:** 'Spies in soul society? We would have detected them by now.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'We witnessed how Thanos transformed a hollow to impersonate Betsy; it is not beyond his scope to do the same to one or more soul reapers.'

**Thor: **'The sorcerer speaks the truth Captain Soifon. E'en his great magicks could not detect the facade.'

The second squad commander looks quizzically at the god of thunder, but before she can put words to her puzzlement, Logan taps his nose and grins at the female.

**Wolverine:** 'The nose knows darlin'; that's how I know there's somethin' fishy goin' on here too. Before we went on our rescue mission, I ran across a scent that didn't quite belong somewhere in the fifth division; but I didn't know what it was then.'

**Soifon:** 'And now your certain?'

**Wolverine:** 'Oh yeah.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Captain Soifon; I need to speak with the head captain about what we have discovered. When can you arrange a meeting with him?'

**Soifon:** 'If what you say is true, then we'll go immediately. Hisagi; come with us.'

The soul reaper nods his head and the three head off to inform Genryusai Yamamoto of the current situation. Once the three have left, Logan turns to Ichigo, Hulk and Thor.

**Wolverine:** 'I'm gonna do my own thing; don't get inta too much trouble.'

He doesn't wait for a response as he flash steps out of sight.

The green goliath huffs and turns his back to the others.

**Hulk: **'I hate to agree with the little guy, but I don't know how much we can do tonight.'

He bends his knees and leaps off into the distance, and within moments, he dissapears into the night. Thor follows his large ally's movements with his keen blue eyes and remains silent until he is gone.

**Thor:** 'Young Ichigo; Odin's Son doth not require sleep. Let us join forces to uncover these mysterious dopplegangers.'

The orange-haired teen sits in silence for a minute before he answers as best he can.

**Ichigo:** 'Ah, Thor... I'm going to see what Renji and some of the others are doing. Take care OK?'

He slowly backs away, not sure how to really deal with the 6'6" god. The thunderer just nods his head as he dismisses the youth. After Ichigo leaves, Thor launches himself into the sky with the help of his mystical hammer. As he lets the cool air of the night rush by his face, he sighs and resolves himself to take Mjolnir's advice to get to know the captain of the sixth squad; Byakuya Kuchiki.

Unlike his gamma-irradiated rival, Logan has no intention to just sit around. He has too much pent-up aggitation from the near-death situation that his teammate is in. Behind his blue eyes, all he can focus on is a red haze with Thanos at the center of it. As the mutant walks down the empty streets of Sei Rei Tei, he thinks to himself; _get it tagether ya crazy Canuck! Yer not gonna be any help ta Betsy if yer half crazed with rage._ Logan starts to take heavy breaths to calm himself down. Slowly it works as he begins to see clearer and he finds himself crossing into the fourth squad's jurisdiction. The mutant looks around at the buildings as he breaths in deep through his nose and soon picks up the scent of the boy-captain of squad ten, Toshiro Hitsugaya. Logan mutters to himself;

**Wolverine:** 'What's he doin' here?'

Curious, the mutant follows the scent of freshly fallen snow and soon finds the white-haired soul reaper rounding a corner. As the mutant rounds the same corner, he calls out to the boy.

**Wolverine:** 'Hey Toshiro, what're ya doin' 'round the fourth squad?'

The captain of the tenth squad pauses without turning around to answer.

**Toshiro:** '... Captain Hitsugaya.'

**Wolverine:** 'What?'

**Toshiro:** 'Address me as "captain", or "Captain Hitsugaya".

**Wolverine:** 'Whatever; what are ya doin' here?'

The boy sighs as he turns around; he places his arms into his sleeves and even though his body language portrays impatience, his teal eyes tell of his want to know how the heroes' mission went.

**Toshiro:** 'I see that you've gotten new attire. How did the rescue go?'

**Wolverine: **'Psylocke's in a bad way; she's bein' taken care of by Kisuke and the others.'

**Toshiro:** 'I see. I'm sorry that we weren't able to help you. If it weren't for your involment up to this point, Thanos may be even more powerful than he is.'

**Wolverine:** 'Don't sweat it kid-'

The mutant stops in mid-sentance and grins.

**Wolverine:** 'Captain Hitsugaya.'

The captain grins slightly as well before turning around to renew his walk. Logan walks beside the boy in silence until they come to a set of wooden doors. Before the soul reaper opens the door, Logan asks;

**Wolverine:** 'No offense, but ain't ya out a little later than usual? Since I've been here, I ain't seen a lot of soul reapers out past nightfall.'

**Toshiro: **'I'm usually finishing up Matsumoto's tasks around this time, but it's been a couple of days since I've checked in on a friend.'

Logan nods after his intuition tells him not to pry, and he follows the boy into the building. The mutant, anticipating a typical hospital smell, doesn't detect anything except the smell of clean and traces of tea leaves.

**Wolverine:** 'I guess there's not a whole lotta needles and chemicals 'round here is there?'

**Toshiro:** 'Did you expect any? The fourth division specializes in healing kidou; soul reapers who are injured are healed with this kidou. Their spiritual pressure is restored first, and then their bodies are healed by the combined efforts of the kidou user and their own energy.'

The two walk for a little longer and then Toshiro stops Wolverine before they get to another door.

**Toshiro:** '... I'll probably be awhile, so if you have something else you need to do, I think you should do it.'

**Wolverine:** 'I'd say ya didn't want me 'round here fer yer visit. Is it a girl?'

Hitsugaya's cheeks blush slightly at the mutant's light teasing.

**Toshiro:** 'D-did Thor-san tell you?'

The short scrapper grins at how fast the boy gave away his secret.

**Wolverine:** 'Thor? Hell no; let me tell ya kid, if ya gave that guy a secret, he'll take it ta his grave - if he could die. I just guessed by how gaurded ya were bein'.'

The captain slowly relaxes and Wolverine turns to leave.

**Wolverine: **'I'll see ya 'round 'Shiro.'

The boy doesn't say anything as he opens the door to enter the room. The vacuum of air that is released from the room doesn't take long to find Logan's nostrils and he stops dead in his tracks a few feet down the hall. He whips his head around and takes in another deep breath and instantly recognizes the familiar scent! He runs back to the room and pauses just before entering to listen to the voices.

**Toshiro:** 'What squad are you with?'

**soul reaper:** '... The fifth squad, captain.'

**Toshiro: **'Why are you at Hinamori's bedside?'

**soul reaper: **'She was always nice to me out of the academy... I wanted to check up on how she was doing.'

Logan roughly slides open the door and bursts into the room. The small captain wheels around with a shocked expression.

**Toshiro:** 'Wolverine?'

The reaper behind the boy looks down and fiddles with the sword tucked into his obi. Without hesitating, Wolverine flash steps to Toshiro's side!

**Wolverine:** 'Move!'

**Toshiro:** 'What're you-?'

In an instant, Logan pushes the captain behind him and is then run through by the black-haired reaper's sword that narrowly avoids Hitsugaya's chest!

**Wolverine:** 'Nngh, Shit!'

**soul reaper:** '... How did know? No soul reaper can detect me in this body! ... Do you remember those four that defended me the other night? They're all dead thanks to me... I was just about to end this girl before the boy showed up.'

**Toshiro:** 'Impossible!'

As Wolverine opens his mouth to speak, a small amount of blood oozes down his lip before drying out and hardening.

**Wolverine:** 'This thing's a **hollow**, kill it!'

As Hitsugaya draws his zanpakutou, Wolverine rips himself off of the blade and pops his claws! The hollow imposter grins wickedly as he turns to strike down the bed-ridden lieutenant of the fifth squad, Momo Hinamori!

**Toshiro: **'No!'

In one swing, the captain decapitates the hollow and the body falls lifeless to the floor! Soon, the body begins to disintegrate and all that is left is an empty uniform and sword. The boy, still as stone with rage, slowly calms down enough to breath. Logan walks over to him and picks up the sword and props it over his shoulder. Just then, Logan hears a light tapping of feet enter the room. He turns before the boy and greets a calm Captain Unohana.

**Retsu:** 'Captain Hitsugaya? Logan-san. I heard noises; is everything alright?'

**Wolverine:** 'The kid here almost had a heart attack, but other than that we're fine.'

**Retsu: **'Who's kimono is that on the floor?'

**Wolverine:** 'We found out while visitin' hueco mundo, that Thanos somehow managed ta plant hollow inta soul reaper bodies. That kimono's proof o' one hollow bein' destroyed. Here, take this; I'm guessin' that sword belonged ta whoever that guy used ta be.'

He hands the weapon, hilt first, over to the patient and beautiful captain of the fourth squad. Upon grasping the sword, the woman's kind face momentarily changes to uneasiness.

**Retsu: **'Logan-san, come with me to see the head captain, please.'

**Wolverine:** 'Dr. Strange is already headin' that way with Soifon. I think I'm just gonna hit the sack.'

He goes to walk past her and she simply smiles and repeats herself.

**Retsu:** 'I think it would be **best **if you **joined **me to see Head-Captain Yamamoto, Logan-san.'

For some reason Logan can't explain, a slight chill runs down his spine as she calmly smiles at him!

**Wolverine:** '... OK darlin', lead the way.'

The two leave Captain Hitsugaya alone to tend to his long-time friend.

Thor touches down just outside the sixth squad captain's office. Before knocking on the door, the thunder puts his ear to the screen to listen if anyone is in. He hears the faint scratching of pen on paper. He reaches his hand up to knock, but stops as a voice from inside calmly states;

**Byakuya:** 'Enter.'

The god of thunder slides the door open and lowers his head as he steps into the room. Across from the door, behind a large wooden desk, sits the raven-haired noble. The captain doesn't look up from what he's doing but he does stop his pen from moving.

**Thor:** 'Captain Kuchiki, mine apologies fort visiting thee this late.'

**Byakuya:** 'Why did you come here then?'

**Thor:** '... I came to warn thee to be wary. On our journey, we hath uncovered a plot by Thanos.'

**Byakuya:** 'Duely noted. Are you tired of wearing that soul reaper's kimono?'

The thunderer blinks at how quickly the soul reaper in front of him accepts what he says and then changes the subject! Without waiting for an answer, Byakuya silently gets up from his chair and walks over to the back wall. He pauses momentarily and looks back at the silent god. The proud warrior slides back a panel, revealing a hidden closet. The moonlight that seeps in through the windows shines and reflects off something made of metal.

**Thor:** 'What is this?'

The captain steps away from the nook to allow his guest to view what he has in its entirety. What Thor sees shocks even him.

**Thor:** 'Doth this be mine battle dress?'

Byakuya closes his eyes and a slight smile crosses his face.

**Byakuya:** 'It is. I comissioned your armor to be made by the finest metal-smiths that soul society has. I couldn't see you wearing our uniform for any longer than was absolutely neccisary.'

Just by looking at it, Thor can tell the quality of the craftsman that made it.

**Thor:** 'Only one sleeve twas damged, yet you hath forged an entire shirt!'

**Byakuya:** 'It was little trouble; you'll find that this armor exceeds your previous one in every way.'

The god looks at the soul reaper with gratitude as he takes the shiny, lightweight armor off of the wooden bust that it's resting on. The soul reaper opens another cabinet beside the one that housed the armor and reveals the rest of the thunderer's costume. The head of the Kuchiki clan goes back to his desk and resumes his work.

**Thor:** 'You have mine thanks Captain Kuchiki.'

He walks to the door and opens it, but before he leaves the black-haired reaper calls out to him one last time.

**Byakuya:** 'See that you take better care of this armor than you did your previous one.'

Thor turns to comment, but the captain has already returned his eyes to his work. Odin's Son ducks out of the room and closes the door behind him. He smirks to himself about what just happened and he can feel a slight rumbling from his hammer. As he walks off into the night, he speaks aloud to his mighty weapon.

**Thor:** 'Tis agreed; there be more to that man than he lets the world see.'

Meanwhile, Dr. Strange has entered the head captain's office behind Soifon and Shuuhei Hisagi. The old man raises his head and barely opens his red eyes to look at the three.

**Soifon: **'I apologize for coming to you at such a late hour head captain, but Dr. Strange and the others have returned from their mission. They discovered something that concerns us all.'

**Yamamoto:** 'Mmm?'

Stephen steps up and explains what he and the others found while in hueco mundo. As he finishes explaining, there comes a light tap on the door before it slides open and reveals the patient captain of the fourth squad, Retsu Unohana; followed shortly by the mystic's teammate Wolverine.

**Unohana:** 'I believe what the doctor says is true head captain. I witnessed the aftermath of a hollow posing as a soul reaper.'

She steps forward and lays the sword on the desk in front of the old man. As she steps back to stand next to Soifon, Logan walks over to stand a few feet from the sorcerer.

**Wolverine:** 'It's true bub; me an' Toshiro was at the hospital wing when I caught the scent of the thing. Before the kid killed it, it said that it had already killed four other soul reapers an' was 'bout ta take out another before we acted.'

As the mutant retells the story to the head captain, Soifon stares wide-eyed at him for how he's talking to her commander! After a moment of silence, Yamamoto touches the blade of the sword infront of him and his eyes grow wide with astonishment before quickly reverting back to his stoic mask.

**Yamamoto:** 'Captain Unohana; you found the sword just like this?'

**Unohana:** 'I did; I could not detect any spiritual pressure coming off of it at all.'

**Wolverine:** 'What's that mean?'

**Soifon:** 'Every zanpakutou is connected to its master by way of the soul. The same pressure that a soul reaper emits, his or her zanpakutou will give off the same energy. A particular energy signature will linger temporarily before dissapearing forever.'

**Wolverine:** 'So there's gotta be a better way ta locate any more imposters than by touchin' everyone's sword! That's gonna take ferever.'

**Soifon:** 'Agreed; you said that he had killed four soul reapers already. If there are more hollow amonst our ranks, then the body count will rise quickly. We must act!'

Silence falls on the group before the head captain speaks.

**Yamamoto:** 'The situation seems to be escalating. However, we are doomed to fail if we act without more information. We will gather the remaining captains and discuss this further in the morning. That is all.'

Logan shakes his head as he follows the others out of the room. As the doors close, he takes off his mask and lets it hang down the back of his neck. The calm captain of the fourth squad leaves first as the stealth force commander and Shuuhei hang back.

**Soifon:** 'Don't let the commander's discision bother you Logan; you **know **he's right.'

**Wolverine:** 'Maybe; but I don't have ta **like **it.'

**Soifon: **'I'll position members of the stealth force throughout Sei Rei Tei overnite; they'll report **anything **out of the ordinary.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Logan, trust in the abilities of these soul reapers. I believe they have been doing this for a **long **time.'

**Wolverine:** 'It ain't them, doc; it's all this damn waitin''round that's got me all up tight.'

**Soifon:** 'You should get some rest. Hisagi, come with me.'

With that, the two vanish before the mutant can protest.

**Wolverine: **'Maybe she's **right**... I'm goin' ta bed, I'll see ya in the mornin' Strange.'

The hairy man waves back at the mystic and Stephen watches until he's out of sight. After a minute, he begins to float out of the first squad. _Do not worry Logan; I too, share your feelings of uneasiness. _He closes his eyes and teleports himself to the top of the highest building in Sei Rei Tei; a great, white, cylindrical tower that overlooks everything. He levitates himself and crosses his legs Indian-style as he begins to concentrate on every single soul reaper; known and unknown. Instead of focusing on the soul reaper themselves, he concentrates on the spirit of their zanpakutou. He slowly goes through each squad and magickally "touches" each energy signature to determine if it is alive or not. Several hours go by and his body drips with sweat from the amount of strain his mind is being put through! He furrows his brow and bites his lip slightly as he finishes sifting through the fourth squad. Before continuing his search with the captainless squad five, he thinks to himself; _I did not think that this endeavor would prove to be this difficult. Perhaps I should __**also **__take Genryusai's advice and wait until morning. _After a few seconds of rest, he smirks to himself as he resolves to finish his project tonight. The mystic resumes his search for any more hollow posing as soul reapers and half-way through the fifth squad he comes across... nothing; a void in space! Dr. Strange's eyes snap open with this discovery and he brings his feet back down to touch the roof of the building.

**Dr. Strange:** 'So there **is **at least one more hiding amonst them.'

He ponders this for a moment before silently disappearing. When he once again steps foot onto soul society soil, he is in the fifth squad's jurisdiction. Almost every window is dark and everything is quiet as the mystic looks around. As he walks down a small street lined with quarters on either side, he concentrates on the "blank spot" that he detected earlier. Soon, he sees a female soul reaper with short blonde hair approaching him. Noting that it's strange that she seems to be one of the only beings up well after two in the morning, he observes her more closely. She has gold bracelets that dangle from her wrists and her green eyes barely make contact with the sorcerer as she goes to pass him.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Miss.'

The mystic stops as she passes him and turns his head slightly in her direction. She stops as well but doesn't turn around as she speaks in a soft voice.

**female soul reaper:** 'H-hi; what brings you here?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I felt like taking a walk and wandered into this squad. If you could, please be **careful **on being out this late; we believe that there are hollow here that are hiding in plain sight.'

**female soul reaper: **'Um, I'll try and be careful.'

He smiles a small smile as he turns to resume his walk. Seconds later, he turns around and teleports to his right just before the blonde attempts to cut him in half! He quickly forms a triangle in mid-air, saying;

**Dr. Strange:** 'Way of binding number 30; beak-piercing triple beam!'

A golden light traces where his fingers go as the three points of the triangle flash and shoot out towards the attacking female! The energy knives catch the off-gaurd being in both shoulders and her left leg as they force her hard onto the wall of the buliding directly behind her; preventing her from attacking further. The noise of the short conflict alerts the sleeping soul reapers as two rooms become illuminated in light. Seconds later the street fills with ten shocked and weary death gods with their swords drawn!

**soul reaper: **'What's going on? You're one of them humans from the other world.'

Another kimono-wearing reaper speaks up.

**soul reaper:** 'He's attackin' Suki! They were just here to make us believe they were on our side. Let's get 'em!'

Stephen closes his eyes as he knows they are all beyond the point of words. He holds up his hand as he whispers one word;

**Dr. Strange: **'**Sleep**.'

Before the mob can attack, they all fall unconscious where they stand! The mystic turns back to his captive and levitates the sheath that is tucked into the soul reaper's obi out and away from her. He walks over to where she had dropped her weapon and picks it up. He stares at her as he sheaths the sword; a minute passes before he says anything to her.

**female soul reaper:** 'Why did you attack me? I thought you were an imposter that you warned me about! Please let me down; I'm sorry for - '

**Dr. Strange:** '**Stop**. You have fooled every member of this **squad**. I do not know how **long **you have been here, but now that I am **aware **of what to look for, the others like you will not be able to **hide**.'

The soul reaper's face morphs from scared and helpless to a sinister sneer with murderous intentions!

**female soul reaper: **'Thanos said I'd hafta be **careful**. He said I'd be **helpless **if I got caught. Oh well; you and everyone else can't **stop **him now. **Kill **me, I won't tell you **anything**!'

**Dr. Strange: **'No.'

He magickally takes the doppleganger off of the wall and binds it with the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. The creature that poses as the female soul reaper screams out in protest, so he brings it in close and touches his forefinger to the hollow's throat. Instantly, the sounds cease, and the creature's green eyes go wide with shock! As the ten bodies around him remain still with sleep, he teleports himself and his captive to his sleeping quarters. Once there, he leaves the imposter bound with the crimson energy while he constructs another barrier to place the creature in. He lays the dead sword upon the floor and then he too lays down to get a few hours of sleep before the meeting tomorrow.

Bruce Banner wakes up to a bright light shining in his face.

**Kurotsuchi:** 'Ah, so you're finally awake.'

The light becomes dim and Bruce blinks aways the hundreds of spots that form on the sides of his vision. He is wearing his alter-ego's new pants but they have shrunk down to fit his form. Banner looks at the captain of the twelfth squad and asks;

**Bruce:** 'Why do you have me restrained?'

The blue-haired soul reaper tilts his head and smiles.

**Kurotsuchi: **'You are a **curious **subject; I had no idea **you **are the one that changes into that **brute**! A few of my subordinates found your green friend slumped against a tree outside of my division. They watched you change, and to my delight, they brought you here.'

**Bruce: **'That doesn't answer my question Mayuri; let me go. We're on the same side.'

**Kurotsuchi:** '"Same side"? I **rarely **care about what goes on outside these walls, human. You are my new project! Now be still while I draw a sample of your blood.'

He turns his back to the table and Banner closes his eyes as he begins his transformation. Captain Kurotsuchi turns around at the sound of metal screeching as the weight of his captive multiplies nearly eleven times! Hulk stands up to his full height, as he finishes breaking his restraints, and his shadow looms over the wide-eyed scientist!

**Hulk:** 'You were **saying**?'

The captain grins madly as he witnesses a quarter of the transformation.

**Kurotsuchi:** 'My, my; that is **quite **impressive!'

He grabs Hulk's wrist and attempts to stick him with the syringe he holds in his hand, only for the needle to snap against the behemoth's green hide! Hulk frowns and grabs the soul reaper by both shoulders and lifts him up and forcebly moves him out of his way.

**Hulk:** 'I'm out of here.'

Instead of using the door, and to exact a measure of payback for being imprisoned, the green goliath gets a running start and plows right through the wall! He smirks as he can barely hear the captain scream profanities at him in his wake. He continues to jog down the pathways of the twelfth division, much to the surprise of the few soul reapers he passes. He grins as he comes up to a wall and smashes right through it! Emerging from the dust and debris, the jade giant narrowly misses Captain Zaraki as he and Yachiru are walking in the next corridor!

**Yachiru:** 'Green green!'

**Kenpachi:** 'Well look who it is; ya in a hurry or somethin'?'

**Hulk: **'I was just havin' some fun with that Kurotsuchi guy. Where're you guys headed?'

**Kenpachi: **'Gramps wants us in a meeting or somethin'. It's a pain in my ass if ya ask me.'

**Hulk: **'Dr. Strange thinks that Thanos has somehow planted hollow in soul society.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Hmph, what do I care? I'll just cut 'em down if they get in my way.'

Hulk shrugs and the two, with Yachiru riding on her captain's back, continue to walk together until they make it to the head captain's meeting room. Meanwhile, Logan hears a knock on his door as he finishes putting on his costume.

**Kyoraku:** 'Logan-san, you in there?'

The mutant grabs his gloves off of a stool and slides the door open. The tall captain looks over the scrapper with approval.

**Kyoraku: **'I like your new look; did you grow tired of wearing our robes?'

Logan smirks at the easy-going soul reaper as he says;

**Wolverine:** 'Nah, but it feels nice ta be back in somethin' that resembles my **old **costume. Plus, I didn't wanna hurt that Ishida's feelings.'

**Kyoraku: **'Ishida-kun made that for you? Impressive.'

Logan steps outside and closes the door behind him, and the two begin to walk.

**Wolverine:** 'Where ya headin'?'

**Kyoraku:** 'Old man Yama called a meeting. Since you're back in one piece, I'd say the rescue was a success?'

The captain of the eighth squad and the mutant walk a little further before Logan answers the question.

**Wolverine:** 'We got Betsy out **alive**, but we learned that there's spies in soul society. That's probably what the old man wants ta talk 'bout.'

**Kyoraku: **'Spies in soul society... That's not good.'

**Wolverine:** 'Yer tellin' **me**; I flushed one out last night and Toshiro killed it.'

**Kyoraku:** 'Shiro-chan? What were you doing with him?'

**Wolverine:** 'Nothin' really; I was walkin' 'round the fourth division and caught up with him. He was on his way ta see someone, an' that's where we found the imposter. It was 'bout ta kill the kid's friend.'

**Kyoraku:** 'Hinamori-chan.'

**Wolverine:** **'Maybe**; she smelled like plums and the kid nearly **lost **it when the hollow went ta attack.'

The captain pulls his straw hat down to cover his eyes and smiles.

**Kyoraku:** 'Trouble always seems to follow you my friend.'

The mutant shrugs.

**Wolverine:** 'Just another day fer me, Shun-kun.'

They walk in silence for the rest of the way and as they near the doors to the meeting room, Logan sees Hulk leaning up against one of the many pillars that line the long corridor. Hulk nods to the long-haired captain as he enters the building.

**Hulk:** 'About time you showed up. Catchin' up on your beauty sleep?'

**Wolverine: **'I had a late night; killed a hollow. What'd **you **do?'

Hulk frowns and turns his back to his small ally.

**Hulk:** '**Nothing**. I woke up in that mad scientist's lab. Did you know he wanted to see what I was **made **of?'

**Wolverine:** 'Heh; if I don't see him again it'll be **too **soon.'

Logan breathes in through his nose and immediately wishes he hadn't! He grimaces and turns his head in the direction of the smell of poison.

**Wolverine:** 'Speak o' the **devil**...'

**Hulk: **'What?'

The jade giant follows his teammates eyes and frowns at the figure strolling towards them.

**Kurotsuchi:** '**There** you are, you over-grown **cuccumber**! You **owe **me a new **wall**, and I **expect **it to be in place by the time I get out of this **infernal **meeting. If not, I will exact payment from your green hide.'

As the twelfth captain heads into the room, the jade giant mock rolls up his "sleeves" and attempts to follow him.

**Wolverine:** 'Easy bub; somethin' tells me that guy doesn't **really **want ta mess with ya.'

Before the door closes completely, the keen senses of Logan detects all of the other captains have already made it inside. The two heroes stand outside in silence until Hulk squints as a reflecting glare dances across his face. The cause of the glare touches down shortly, walking up to the other two regally.

**Thor: **'Ho there mine friends! How doth yon morning fair?'

**Wolverine:** 'Huh; looks like goldilocks got new duds too.'

**Thor: **'Aye, tis a gift from Captain Kuchiki.'

He looks over the polished metal again as the other two look on. Shortly, Dr. Strange appears out of thin air and the three turn to look at him and his passenger; he carries a sword in his right hand.

**Thor:** 'Doth thou carry with you an imposter?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Indeed. This creature will be the **proof **that the head captain requires.'

He glides past them and opens the door to the meeting room. Instantly, the room breaks out in mumbles before the door closes behind him. Inside, Stephen touches down and walks between the two rows of captains on either side of him. Confusion, shock and disbelief are among the emotions that play across the faces of the ten captains as the sorcerer comes to a stop a few feet from the head captain's desk. He dismisses the levitation spell that he had cast on the doppleganger and lets the hollow-in-soul reaper form fall to the wooden floor. The creature squirms futilly against its crimson bonds as Dr. Strange walks forward and lays the soul-less weapon upon the desk in front of Yamamoto.

**Dr. Strange: **'I found this one several hours after our meeting Captain Yamamoto. She - **it **- was hiding in plain sight in the fifth squad.'

The other captains stir at this revelation.

**Unohana: **'How did you detect this one Stephen-san?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'It was extremely difficult, especially performing the search after our ordeal in hueco mundo. Instead of concentrating my efforts on the energy of the soul reaper, I instead, focused on everyone's sword.'

Byakuya closes his eyes as more rumblings are heard from the different captains. Upon hearing this explanation, the large fox speaks up.

**Komamura:** '"Everyone's sword"? Do you mean to say that you can see the individual spirits of **every **zanpakutou?'

**Dr. Strange:** '**Precisely**. I was half-way through with the fifth division when I ran across a void in between zanpakutou and soul reaper. When I arrived, I found this one walking around; it attacked me and up to the point of capture, it tried to plead its innocence.'

Shunsui Kyoraku whistles as he adjusts his hat.

**Kyoraku:** 'Scary.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'A few members of of the squad even came to its aid; never knowing that they were trying to defend a hollow.'

As the mystic and the captains converse, the creature convulses on the floor trying to escape its bonds. Its eyes are wide with fury and foam and spittle fly out of the "girl's" mouth as it hungers for the powerful souls surrounding it. Captain Yamamoto focuses on the hollow and almost instantly the creature's eyes shut tight and it moves, as best as it can, into the fetal position.

**Yamamoto: **'Do not look upon us as if we were a potential **meal**. Be **gone **from my sight!'

If the hollow could scream it would. Instead, all it does is open its mouth and then evaporates into nothing as the elder captain unleashes his spiritual pressure unto the creature!

**Shunsui:** 'Yama-jii doesn't hold back does he, Jushiro?'

**Ukitake:** 'I would say **not**. This situation has us all a little on edge it would seem.'

Just then, before anyone else can comment, every captain in the room becomes stiff and they tilt their heads as if listening to something Dr. Strange can't hear. Outside, Thor, Hulk and Wolverine are each passing the time in their own way when the available lieutenants of every squad, along with Ichigo, appear out of nowhere and start running towards the now alert heroes.

**Wolverine:** 'What's goin' on?'

**Renji: **'It's **Kira**! He's in the ninth squad and he's hurt pretty bad!'

Before Logan can get any more out of the red-haired lieutenant of the sixth squad, the soul reapers dash inside the meeting room. The three heroes quickly follow them and find the meeting room in confused chaos!

**Yamamoto:** 'Silence, all of you! Lieutenant Izuru sent the message to **all **of us through the use of **tenteikura**. He **said **he was attacked by a soul reaper, but we all know what he was **really **assaulted by. I want attack parties to search **every **squad for the imposters!'

His white-haired lieutenant bows and vanishes from sight while Stephen turns to his fellow heroes.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Assist the captains in any way you can while I resume my search for anymore possible intruders.'

Thor, Hulk and Wolverine split up to pair with who they've become most comfortable with. The thunderer pairs with Toshiro and his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto as Hulk lumbers off with a grinning Kenpachi and his small lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi. Ichigo nods to Renji as he and the lieutenant follow the captain of the sixth squad out of the room. Wolverine pulls on his mask once more as he joins Soifon and the lieutenant of the second squad, Marechiyo Omaeda. As the other captains and their lieutenants begin to leave the head captain's meeting room, Captain Retsu Unohana motions for her lieutenant Isane Kotetsu to stand beside her and Dr. Strange overhears their conversation.

**Unohana:** 'Please take a recovery team and retrieve Lieutenant Kira. Find out as much as you can from him and then relay the message to everyone; including our guests.'

**Isane: **'Yes captain!'

The tall woman vanishes and the fourth squad captain gracefully walks out of the room. Once everyone has left, the mystic turns to the head captain and asks;

**Dr. Strange:** 'With your permission, I would like to remain here while I finish my search for anymore spies.'

**Yamamoto:** 'Do as you wish; I will remain here as well to see how the others fair.'

The sorcerer nods his understanding and sets up to begin his search. Meanwhile, Wolverine runs in silence, keeping pace with the small captain of squad two. Every so often, her much larger second-in-command looks over his shoulder to glare at the costumed mutant. Logan just grins wickedly at him and this makes the soul reaper, who seems to be sweating already, turn and contiue to run.

**Wolverine:** 'Hey Soifon; what was the old guy talkin' 'bout when he said Kira used "heavenly rickshaws in silken air"?'

**Soifon: **'It's a bakudo spell that lets the caster transmit messages to anyone they choose through telepathy. I would assume very similar to they way your female teammate transmits her thoughts.'

He doesn't say anything to this and shortly they arrive at the entrance to the second squad. Immediately, twenty black-clad ninjas appear out of nowhere and kneel before their commander. The captain turns to Logan and says;

**Soifon:** 'Are these **my **men?'

The mutant sniffs the air and nods his head.

**Wolverine: **'Yeah, they're **legit**.'

**Soifon:** 'Spread **out**! Use all of the cunning and skill that you possess to locate the intruders; **die **if necessary!'

As one, the group touches their fists against their chests and vanish. The three set out on their own to locate any more imposters. Thor takes to the sky as he follows the boy-captain and his busty lieutenant. As the two soul reapers run, Rangiku looks up at the god of thunder and smiles.

**Matsumoto:** 'I like your new armor Thor; very shiny!'

**Thor:** 'Mine thanks m'lady; Captain Kuchiki doth had it fashioned fort me.'

**Toshiro: **'Focus! Why is it that **everytime **the two of you get together, you always talk about **nothing**?'

The blonde soul reaper pouts;

**Matsumoto:** 'Awe captain, I haven't seen him in so long.'

The white-haired boy sighs as he continues to run.

**Toshiro: **'At least I know that **you're **not an imposter; I don't think **anyone **could **duplicate **your airheaded-ness.'

**Matsumoto:** 'Thanks captain!'

The captain grinds his teeth in anoyance.

**Toshiro:** 'That **wasn't **a compliment.'

The trio come to a stop just inside of the tenth squad's boundries and begin their search for anything out of the ordinary. As Hulk follows Zaraki and Yachiru into the eleventh squad's section, Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa appear before the three. The spikey-haired captain draws his zanpakutou and holds it at his third seat's throat!

**Kenpachi: **'How do I know ya ain't some hollow?'

The third seat holds up his hands, palms out.

**Ikkaku: **'Hey wait! Captain, it's me I swear!'

Yachiru pops up from behind her captain's shoulder.

**Yachiru:** 'Gee Kenny, I don't think anybody'd wanna be **that **bald!'

Madarame grits his teeth and glares at the little lieutenant.

**Ikkaku:** 'You little - I'm gonna **kill **you one of these days!'

**Yachiru: **'**Shut up**, cue ball!'

The two subsequently get into a small, but comical, fight as the battle-hungry Kenpachi ignores them.

**Kenpachi: **'What about **you**?'

He points his worn-down sword at his fifth seat who nonchalantly closes his eyes and flicks a few strands of silken hair dramatically away from his face.

**Yumichika: **'I couldn't **possibly **be duplicated; this beautiful **face **is one of a kind, captain.'

Zaraki grimaces and sheaths his sword.

**Kenpachi:** 'C'mon ya three, we gotta find **somethin' **that I can kill.'

Hulk shakes his head at the antics of his companions and then follows in their wake. The sun hangs overhead as Dr. Strange finishes sifting through the seventh squad. His search is interupted abruptly when, behind his eyes, he sees images of the third squad lieutenant being tended to by the lavender-haired fourth squad lieutenant. The mystic hears her report through the use of tenteikura;

**Isane: **'Lieutenant Izuru's been in and out of **consciousness**, but he's managed to tell me a little bit about what **happened **to him.'

In their respective groups, Hulk, Thor and Wolverine stop to listen to the woman's words.

**Isane:** 'Kira was on his way to see Lieutenant Hisagi when he came across a lone soul reaper **covered **in blood and surrounded by ten bodies!'

As Logan hears the tattooed soul reaper's title, he turns to Soifon and asks;

**Wolverine: **'Ya managed ta reinstate Shuuhei huh?'

**Soifon:** 'Yes; now be **quiet**.'

The message continues.

**Isane:** 'The soul reaper told him that a **hollow **just attacked and that he was the **lone **survivor. When Kira started to run in the direction of where the soul reaper pointed, he was stabbed from behind by the blood-drenched soul reaper!'

Surprisingly, through the kido spell, Dr. Strange can sense everyone that is hearing the message. Upon hearing of the betrayal, Renji Abarai and Tetsuzaimon Iba become outwardly angry and their captains have to reign them in; Rangiku's look of worry dissapears as Thor reassures her.

**Isane: **'I don't have anymore information right now, and he hasn't given a **description **yet. Keep a look out for anyone covered in **blood**!'

The connection breaks and silence returns to the sorcerer's mind; he resumes his search with the eighth squad. Logan smiles as the lavendar-haired woman's voice leaves his mind.

**Wolverine: **'"Anyone covered in **blood**"? That shouldn't be **too **obvious.'

**Soifon:** 'I'm certain that the hollow has already changed clothes by **now**. The fourth squad excells at **healing**, but they seem to lack the ability to think **ahead**.'

The two continue to search while the female's lieutenant slowly tags along. A half hour goes by and everything remains quiet as there is no word from either Isane or Dr. Strange as to the whereabouts of the murderous hollow. Kenpachi sent his third and fifth seats away as they were becoming too annoying to handle. The pink-haired lieutenant followed after them, laughing and making fun of Ikkaku's bald head until they were out of ear-shot. The green goliath and the the captain of the eleventh squad continue down the streets as Zaraki breaks the silence.

**Kenpachi: **'This is **boring**; I hate the **quiet**, it makes me start to think and I **hate **that even more.'

**Hulk: **'Is there anything you **do **like?'

**Kenpachi:** 'I like ta **fight**.'

Hulk doesn't say anything to this and the only sound between them is the tinkling of the bells that adorn the tips of the captain's spikey hair as he walks. Suddenly, Hulk hears the sound of feet running behind them. When he turns around to see who it is, he barely has time to shout out a warning to Kenpachi as a soul reaper's blade swings swiftly at his back!

**Hulk:** 'Look out!'

The warning comes too late and Kenpachi is struck by the sword! The strike doesn't even phase the large man, and upon contact, the blade snaps in two! Kenpachi turns around at the sound of snapping metal and looks down at the dark-skinned man with murder in his eyes.

**Kenpachi:** 'Are **you **the one that got everybody so worked up? Yer so **weak **that yer sword was **afraid **ta cut me.'

He turns back around and begins to walk away. Hulk grabs the smaller man in his iron grip and calls out to the uninterested soul reaper.

**Hulk:** 'This is the **hollow**! Aren't you gonna **destroy **it?'

The captain doesn't turn around as he replies;

**Kenpachi:** 'That thing's not worth my time; the sword is dull and **useless **now anyway.'

Hulk looks down at the struggling creature in his arms and then back up to the captain. Before the jade giant can decide what to do with the menace, the voice of lieutenant Kotetsu once again intrudes in his mind.

**Isane:** 'The body that the hollow is in has a **beard**! He's dark-skinned and fairly tall; be on the **lookout **for anyone that fits this discription!'

Her voice fades and the gamma irradiated Hulk brings the hollow up to his face to look at it.

**Hulk:** 'Dark skin; **check**. Fairly tall; **check**. Beard; **check**.'

The hollow growls at him as he looks it over.

**bearded hollow:** 'You **fools**! I've done **my **part; **Thanos **and the others will **destroy **you all!'

Hulk rolls his eyes at his captive's empty threat and suddenly Dr. Strange's voice blares inside his skull!

**Dr. Strange:** '**Attention**! I have located another hollow and it is in the **eleventh **squad. Dispatch it immediately!'

**Hulk:** '**Really** doc?'

Within minutes, the jade giant is surrounded by ten black-clad ninjas, Captain Hitsugaya and Matsumoto and then Wolverine and Soifon! He looks around at everyone gathered and shrugs.

**Hulk:** 'I think this's our guy.'

Thor touches down momentarily and goes to stand by the busty lieutenant of the tenth squad. Soifon walks up to the creature that is still struggling in her much larger ally's grip and swifly draws Suzemebachi from behind her back. As she runs the hollow through, Captain Korutsuchi appears with his lieutenant, Nemu.

**Korutsuchi:** 'Don't **destroy **it! Blast you **infernal **woman, I wanted to **study **it. How did this creature mask its hollow nature so **thoroughly**? Weren't you even the least bit **curious**?'

**Soifon: **'**No**. This thing was an **abomination **and threatened our **existance**.'

She sheaths her zanpakutou and vanishes before the scientist can say another word. He does, however, pick up the two pieces of the dead sword and then vanishes with his lieutenant. The ten soul reapers in black dissapear as the three heroes gather around Hitsugaya and Rangiku. The tenth squad captain folds his arms into his kimono and sighs.

**Toshiro:** 'This nemesis has done **more **than implant hollow into our **ranks**; he's attacked our **minds **by having us suspect our **own**.'

**Thor:** 'Thanos be a most **cunning **villain; he shalt not stop until we hath **destroyed **ourselves from within.'

**Rangiku:** 'He wants us to **question **each other so when he **attacks**, we'll be too busy fighting **ourselves**!'

**Wolverine:** 'That just 'bout sums it up darlin'.'

The group sits in silence for a minute more and then they part ways. Thor takes flight and heads to see Dr. Strange as Wolverine jogs off to meet up with Shunsui Kyoraku. Hulk lingers for just a moment longer as he looks around and silently takes in everything that just happened. A sigh rumbles in his chest as he lumbers off in search of the eleventh squad captain. Thor slides the large doors of the first squad's meeting room open and sees Stephen Strange levitating in the middle of the room with Head-Captain Yamamoto sitting quietly at his desk. The elder soul reaper nods slightly in the direction of the blonde god, and he steps into the room to wait for the sorcerer to come out of his trance. Logan catches up with Shunsui's scent of death and... perfume? The feral scrapper shakes his head as he puts words to the captain's unique scent. The mutant once again unmasks to reveal his ever-present five o'clock shadow and mutton chops and looks up as he rounds a corner of the eighth squad. He sees the hatted soul reaper's flower kimono hanging loosly off the edge of the top of a roof and smirks as he also picks up on the scent of fine sake wafting through the air.

**Wolverine: **'Shunsui, ya up there?'

**Shunsui:** 'Ah Logan-san.'

Even with his large frame, the mutant easily jumps up to grab the ledge and hoists himself up to properly greet the relaxing captain. The 6'3" soul reaper is propped up on his elbow with his right knee up, grinning at the hairy man in front of him. With his free hand, he brings the jug of sake up to his nose and sniffs at the rim before offering it to Logan.

**Shunsui:** 'Care for a **drink**?'

**Wolverine:** 'It's the middle of the **afternoon**... why aren't ya out lookin' fer hollow?'

Logan walks over to the still outsretched hand of the captain and takes the earthen jug. He takes a swig as the captain answers the question;

**Shunsui: **'I got **tired **and decided to take the afternoon **off**. Besides, did you know that the **majority **of my squad are female?'

**Wolverine:** 'So? What's that got ta do with **anythin'**?'

**Shunsui:** '**Everything** Logan-san! I **know **my squad, and they're all **genuine**. So drink up and let the others sort out what they need to!'

The captain continues to grin as he pulls his hat down over his eyes and then places his hands behind his head as he lays down. Logan takes one more drink from the jug and then sits it down beside his friend. As he walks off, the mutant calls back over his shoulder;

**Wolverine:** 'I can't just sit **'round **bub; I'll catch up with ya later.'

Before flash stepping away, he sees the soul reaper lazily wave to him. The light that shines through the screenless windows of the first squad's meeting room casts long shadows on the floor when Stephen finally opens his eyes with an audible sigh escaping his lips. Thor looks over to his ally while he waits for him to speak.

**Dr. Strange:** 'It is **finished**; all of Sei Rei Tei is free of imposters. It will take a few days, I believe, to scan **all **of soul society.'

The head captain stands up and looks to where the mystic is stretching his back.

**Yamamoto:** 'That's **unnecessary**.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I believe that it would only **benefit **us if we ruled out the possibility of **any **soul reaper being fake; not **only **the ones within these walls.'

**Yamamoto:** 'Last night, I ordered **every **soul reaper to come back to Sei Rei Tei to rule out **any **suspicion.'

The sorcerer strokes his gotee while he listens to the wisened man.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Very well. I -'

Before the doctor can say anything else, a light tapping interupts him.

**Yamamoto:** 'Enter.'

The door slides open and in walks Captain Unohana of the fourth squad.

**Unohana:** 'Head captain, I believe I have rather **unsettling **news I must share with **everyone**.'

The old man nods and turns his head to his lieutenant, who has been standing by his side the entire time, and the mustached man simply vanishes. Several minutes later, as the gentle woman waits patiently with the sorcerer and god, the first of the captains and their lieutenants begin to arrive. Byakuya and Renji enter the room first, followed by Soifon and her lieutenant. Soon, the room fills up once again with the captains and lieutenants of the rest of the squads as Hulk comes in with Kenpachi and Yachiru. Wolverine is last to enter the room and he glances around at everyone in attendance. He notices, without surprise, that the blonde lieutenant of the third squad isn't here; but he does smirk in seeing Hisagi's lieutenant badge once again tied to his left arm. The feral scrapper walks over to where his teammates are and waits for the meeting to start. Captain Yamamoto taps his walking stick on the ground and everyone focuses on him.

**Yamamoto:** 'I've called you all here to tell you that Stephen-san has **finished **his scan through our ranks, and **all **hollow impersonators have been discovered and **eliminated**. Also, Captain Unohana has something to tell all of us.'

The kind female quietly steps forward and addresses her peers and everyone else.

**Unohana: **'I have discovered something of a pattern over the last few days and it has disturbed me. My squad has been very busy with many unexplained deaths over that time period and now I have found an explanation for everything.'

As her soft voice reaches everyone in attendance, her blues eyes scan the room.

**Unohana: **'I have been going over **battle **and **injury **reports from the last several **days **and I have found that **three **soul reapers came back from a soul recovery mission in the world of the living three days **late**. In the **report **that was filed, they said they had been **attacked **by hollow and that their mission had **failed**. I checked with every squad, and squad five sent out a team of **four **to perform Konso on a dozen or more souls. Those same soul reapers were the imposters that we just discovered.'

Low murmers from the soul reapers ring out around the room as they all take in what the captain has just said.

**Dr. Strange: **'I am sorry captain, but we have only dispatched **three **hollow and I have searched **all **of Sei Rei Tei for intruders. Is there anyway that the report could be **wrong**?'

A high chuckle interupts the female captain before she can respond to Stephen's question.

**Kurotsuchi:** 'My, **my **have you **ever **experimented in your **tiny **life? The fourth soul reaper you seem to be so **worried **about was most likely Thanos's **first **subject!'

The fourth captain simply closes her eyes and nods to indicate that the captain of the twelfth squad is most likely correct. After a moment of silence from all that are gathered, the head captain speaks up.

**Yamamoto:** 'Thanos has been very **busy **up to this point and he seems to care little for **anything **as long as he gets what he **wants**. You all have been working **tirelessly **to stop this intruder and have asked for **nothing**. We will take the rest of the day and into the night to **honor **our fallen comrades with proper burial and respect. **Dismissed**!'

The soul reapers file out first and the the heroes follow their lead in silence. Upon exiting the first squad, Dr. Strange beckons his team over to him.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I do not know if we should **attend **these rites. It is **our **villain that has brought this **chaos **upon this dimension and I believe it would be **disrespectful **to take part.'

After the mystic finishes his thoughts, the heroes look around at each other in silence for a minute before Logan chimes in.

**Wolverine: **'Yer **kiddin' **right? What've we been **doin' **up to this point? Ya ask **me**, it'd be disrespectful **not **ta attend. In case ya **missed **it doc, these guys have **accepted **our help and are **trustin' **us ta come through fer 'em.'

He folds his hairy arms across his chest and looks at the sorcerer. Stephen stands in silence as he contemplates the mutant's words. Finally he sighs as he knows Logan is right.

**Dr. Strange: **'Very well. You are **right **after all; I have burdened you all with **my **guilt for not seeing what Thanos was **scheming **and I apologize.'

**Wolverine:** 'Don't **sweat **it, bub; we all've been bit by the guilt bug. Just be sure ta take yer frustrations out on ol' **prune **head when next ya see him.'

He flashes a toothy grin at the mystic and Strange returns it with a smirk of his own.

**Wolverine:** 'While everybody gets ready, I'm gonna head out ta see if I can't get a ride back ta **Urahara's **ta check on Betsy.'

**Editor's Notes: Hey everybody! I hope this chapter was alright. After re-reading it, I realized that I didn a lot of explaing of things to different characters, but I thought that not everyone would know what was going on from the very beginning. I appologize if it seemed redundent after a while. I also wanted to explore some feelings that might not have been transparent leading up to this point so I hope that was shown as well. obviously this story is long and involved, but I have more to go so be patient and you'll see an end soon! Happy Reading!**


	30. Rejuventation

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Rejuvenation**

**Editor's Notes: Disclaimer; I don't own Bleach or Marvel.**

The heroes part ways and Logan starts to sniff the air around him to pick up on where Shuuhei Hisagi was headed after he left the the head captain's office. After walking for a few minutes, he crosses the ninth squad lieutenant's scent just outside of the third division. The mutant flash steps until he catches up with the tattooed reaper.

**Wolverine: **'Hey bub, where ya headin'?'

**Shuuhei:**'I'm on my way back to my squad; what are you doing, Logan-san?'

**Wolverine:** 'I was wantin' ta see Betsy before I headed over ta the funeral.'

The lieutenant looks down at the mutant and then away.

**Wolverine:** 'Ya don't want ta **see **her? **Look**; I'm not the most sentimental guy out there, but I **know **it'd mean a hell of a lot ta her if ya showed up.'

**Shuuhei: **'It's not that I don't **want **to see her; I... feel **responsible **for her situation and - '

**Wolverine:** 'How can ya be responsible fer somethin' ya had no **control **over?'

Under his breath he adds;

**Wolverine:** 'Ya sound like Dr. Strange...'

**Shuuhei:**'I should've been there to stop the abduction.'

**Wolverine:**'Ya can't be everywhere. C'mon, take yer little sword out and get us ta Urahara's.'

The soul reaper looks to be offended but smiles when he sees the mutant grinning at him.

**Shuuhei:** 'Follow me.'

The two walk until they come to a secluded field of high grass that sways in the light breeze. Hisagi draws his zanpakutou and as he stabs the air he once again says;

**Shuuhei:** 'Unlock.'

Two Hell Butterflies appear as the gate opens and the two men walk into the portal. As they walk, the soul reaper strikes up a conversation.

**Shuuhei:**'Logan-san; what do you think about me having feelings for your teammate?'

They walk a few feet more before the mutant answers.

**Wolverine:** 'I don't really **care**. I've known Psylocke a long **time **and she doesn't really do things fer anybody's **approval**.'

**Shuuhei:** 'You don't find it strange that I'm... **dead**?'

**Wolverine:** 'Bub, if I questioned **everythin' **that I didn't understand, I'd never get anythin' **done**. This ain't 'bout what **I **think; it's 'bout what ya feel fer Betsy. Besides; I tend ta trust my instincts, and fer what it's worth, yer good in my book.'

They walk in silence for another minute before Hisagi continues the conversation.

**Shuuhei:**'You're more undestanding than everyone else; even more understanding than **I **was in the beginning.'

**Wolverine:** 'Don't give me **too **much credit; I'm an **animal **after all.'

The reaper smirks.

**Shuuhei: **'When I first **battled **your teammate, I had orders to defeat her in the name of **justice**. Then we learned that your group wasn't the **enemy **and she slowly destoyed my defenses. I was **still **weary of her that day when Thanos first attacked us, but I acted purely on **instinct **when I first protected her from the hollows when she whent into Ichigo's mind.'

As they walk, he continues;

**Shuuhei: **'My friends and the rest of my squad think it's **strange **that I'd **want **to be with a human, but I just can't seem to stay **away **from her.'

**Wolverine:** 'She has that effect on people. Don't think **too **hard on it Shuuhei-san; just **enjoy **it while ya can.'

They walk the rest of the way in silence, and soon the Senkaimon opens to reveal the town of Karakura. The late afternoon sun begins to dip behind the buildings and the blazing orb casts long shadows off of the buildings. The portal didn't open directly in front of Urahara's shop and Logan wonders if that has to do with where the Senkaimon originates from. After a second of thought, he shrugs to himself and carries on. They round a corner and start to walk down a semi-busy street and the mutant steps out of the way to avoid several passer-by.

**Wolverine: **''Scuse me.'

The man in a business suit that he narrowly avoids goes on about his day without even a glance in Logan's direction!

**Wolverine:**'What the hell? He coulda at least looked where he was goin'.'

**Shuuhei: **'These people can't **see **us Logan-san; did you forget that you're in **spirit **form?'

The mutant looks down at his body and runs his gloved fingers through his free-flowing mane.

**Wolverine:** 'This "**body**" sure as hell **feels **real, but yeah, I remember ol' Kisuke sayin' we was in soul form.'

**Shuuhei:** '**Come**; we will get there faster by running on the **rooftops**.'

The soul reaper flash steps to a near-by warehouse and Logan soon follows. Within minutes they arrive at the humble shop that is more than what it appears to be. In the driveway, the red-haired child Jinta and the quiet girl with the pig-tails Ururu, are sweeping the walk. Or rather, the girl is sweeping and the hot-headed kid is playing baseball with his broom. As Shuuhei and Logan approach the entrance, the children stop what they're doing and look at the two.

**Jinta:** 'What do you two **want**?'

**Ururu:**'Mr. Urahara isn't here right now. He went out for supplies.'

**Wolverine:**'We ain't here ta see Kisuke; we came ta check on Besty.'

The girl opens the door for the soul reaper and mutant and they walk into the seemingly small shop. The two walk past the various candies and snacks that line the walls and shelves of the store front and into the back rooms. Wolverine spots his embarassing body kneeling on the floor beside Thor's body as Tessai is trying to explain to them the finer points of the board game Go. As Logan rounds the corner, Shuuhei continues to stare at the scene in front of him. The mutant grabs him by the arm and says;

**Wolverine: **'**Don't** ask.'

Wolverine's mood picks up considerably when he, once again, hears Hulk's body recite something about peace being the quintessential thing to repairing the universe from another room. The two finally stop inside the doorway of the furthest room in the back that is serving as the telepath's recovery room. Logan runs a hand through his black hair as he takes in the sight in front of him. Psylocke's body is sitting anxiously on a chair, dressed in a white tank top and black warm-up pants, looking at the glowing orange dome her soul is under. Kneeling around the oval of healing energy are Yoruichi, the female friend of Ichigo; Orihime and a soul reaper Logan hasn't met, but somehow recognizes his scent. He clears his throat and taps on the frame of the door to announce their presence. The auburn-haired former soul reaper turns to look at them.

**Yoruichi:** 'She's doing much **better **than yesterday; see for yourself.'

She puts a hand on Logan's shoulder as she brushes past the two men and leaves the room. Psylocke's body looks up and then back at her soul before getting up and running after Yoruichi.

**Psylocke's body: **'Yoruichi-sama!'

Logan looks after his teammate's body and shakes his head. The nervous youth on the opposite side of the barrier gets up as Logan enters the room. The soul reaper with black, chin length hair bows to the hairy mutant and introduces himself.

**?: **'Y-you must be one of Stephen-san's friends. I'm Hanataro Yamada; seventh seat of the fourth squad.'

**Wolverine:** 'Hanataro huh? Were ya helpin' ta heal Betsy?'

**Hanataro: **'Y-yes; rather, all I was doing was keeping your friend from experiencing any pain. Inoue-san is the one that's taken over healing duties for Tessai-san and Urahara-san.'

He moves out of the way so Logan can further enter the room and the orange-haired female moves over slightly and bows to the now kneeling mutant.

**Orihime:** 'I'm sorry I haven't been able to do more for her. She was in really bad shape when I got here.'

**Wolverine:** 'Ya did good girl; **thank you**.'

She shakes her head, once again not wanting to accept any praise for her talents. Wolverine looks through the transparent energy at his resting teammate. Almost every bruise and wound upon her body has dissapeared and her face no longer looks like she went twelve rounds with a prize fighter.

**Wolverine: **'That's some impressive work yer doin'.'

**Orihime: **'T-thank you. But the injuries have a **large **amount of spiritual pressure attached to them and it's taking all that I have to fully heal her wounds.'

The mutant turns his head to look at the teen next to him.

**Wolverine: **'What do ya mean "**spiritual pressure**"? Since when did Thanos get **that**?'

**Orihime:** 'Oh **no **Wolverine-san, I don't think that guy did most of the damage! If he's like the **rest **of you, he doesn't have any spiritual pressure at all.'

She quickly adds while blushing;

**Orihime:** 'No offense! I just mean that I feel strong hollow energy coming off of her wounds.'

**Wolverine: **'**Hollow**energy? Those two we fought in hueco mundo... **Dammit**!'

He pounds his fist into the tatami mats, making the girl beside him jump! Suddenly, a soft sound breaks Logan's anger and he darts his head back to the glowing oval of energy.

**Psylocke:** 'Logan... I think you 'ave to work on your bedside manner.'

He quickly calms down and puts a small smile on his face while removing his right glove to put his hand up to the shield surrounding his teammate. She returns the gesture, albeit, more slowly.

**Wolverine:** 'Yer lookin' good Bets.'

**Psylocke:** 'Liar... I feel like 'ell.'

Logan has never been good at sentimentality but he still manages to keep his smile while thinking about Thanos and the two arrancar that did this to the woman in front of him. Betsy manages to sit up and interupts Logan's thoughts with some of her own. _'Ave you forgotten I can read minds, dear? Thanks for the brave face, but I know you want nothing more than to rip Thanos a new one for what 'e did to me. _Logan thinks back; _yer a lot better at puttin' up a brave face than me darlin'. I'm just glad ya still got yer sense o' humor. _As he stands up and breaks the mental connection, he looks back over his shoulder at the patiently waiting soul reaper.

**Wolverine:** 'I got someone here who wants ta **see **ya darlin'. Get better soon; ya know **Cyke **never'd let me live it down if ya came back **broken**.'

He walks away and nods to Shuuhei that it's alright to enter the room. Upon exiting, he slides the door closed to give them some privacy. As he's walking back down the hallway, he hears the door slide open and he sees Orihime walk out of the room smiling sheepishly. She rubs the back of her head as she passes the slightly taller man.

**Orihime: **'Ha ha, I wanted to give them some privacy **too**!'

The Canucklehead shakes his head and smiles at the flighty girl as she bounds down the hall and out of sight. He walks out of the shop to gets some air and so that he doesn't have to be apart of the antics of his body. The sun has hidden itself behind the buildings and the horizon is ablaze with the last rays of sunlight as Logan stretches in the driveway. He catches the scent of Yoruichi near-by and before he calls out to her, he hears a man's voice call out to him overhead.

**Yoruichi:** 'Care to join me?'

The mutant turns around and looks up to the shingled roof of the shop to see the former captain in the form of the black cat. He smirks and flash steps up to where she's perched and hangs his booted feet over the edge.

**Yoruichi:** 'I like it here; at dusk like this, it's really quiet.'

**Wolverine: **'Somethin' I always wondered 'bout; when ya shift forms, where do yer clothes **go**?'

The cat chuckles deep and flashes her golden eyes in the mutant's direction.

**Yoruichi:** 'A girl has to have her **secrets**, Logan-san.'

The two sit in silence for a while longer, with Wolverine laying down on the cool shingles as he puts his muscled arms behind his head and Yoruichi laying down and crossing her paws. A minute later, the front doors slide open and the lieutenant of the ninth squad steps out into the cool night air.

**Shuuhei:**'Logan-san, are out here?'

Logan looks to the cat and says;

**Wolverine:** 'That's my cue darlin'.'

He gets up and leaps down from his position above the soul reaper. He lands silently next to his taller companion and asks;

**Wolverine:** 'Ya ready ta go?'

The soul reaper nods and unsheaths his sword; he swiftly stabs the air and opens the Senkaimon that will get them back to soul society.

Meanwhile, back in soul society dusk has set and soul reapers from every division are hustling about to finish up the preparations for the night's tribute. Thor stands atop one of the taller buildings and looks down at the space in front of him. The grass is short and there are twenty-six freshly dug graves that are surrounded by an equal amount of torches that burn brightly in the twilight. As the thunderer continues to survey what is happening, Stephen Strange appears silently next to him and wraps his cloak around his body.

**Thor:**'I shalt tell the tales of these brave soul reapers to the All Father whenst I return to Asgard.'

**Dr. Strange:**'This new world and and the experiences that wa have shall stay with us forever.'

The god of thunder nods slowly as the soul reapers below finish the set up of the area. Thick ropes, lined with white braided paper, are attached to the torches that line the area. More rope, with the same paper, forms a walkway leading out and away from the graves and the rope becomes hidden as it goes past the near-by buildings.

**Thor:** 'Doth thou have knowledge of the paper that lines the rope?'

**Dr. Strange: **'I believe the paper functions as spirit wards to expel evil and usher in good energy. This place is like Nirvana or Heaven, even Valhalla; I am curious as to what happens to souls that die.'

**Thor:** '**Valhalla** you say? **Nay **mine friend; if this be Valhalla, the festivities twud be **grand**! Food and mead would line tables and Valkyries twud usher in the dead in mighty **fashion**!'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Too true my friend.'

The mystic smiles somberly at the god's energy as he looks out over the expanse that will soon be home to so many unnecessary dead. Suddenly, Rangiku appears a few feet behind the two onlookers and she jogs the rest of the way to greet them.

**Matsumoto:** 'Hey you two; the rites are just about to start and my captain says I have to attend. Go on down and make yourselves comfortable - or as comfortable as you can!'

Before flash stepping away, she winks at Thor and then dissapears. Dr. Strange and Thor make their way down to the fire-lit area below. Even though they have been here for a while, the two colorfully dressed heroes still stand out against the black kimonos that are being worn by the soul reapers. The two stand in silence and moments later, a group of ten soul reapers slowly approach the mystic. As Stephen looks at the supposed leader of the group, he realizes that these are the same men and women that mistakenly attacked him a day ago. The man in front bows at the waist as he speaks.

**soul reaper:**'We're really sorry that we tried to attack you, Dr. Strange-san! Our squad has been scarred before by betrayel and we jumped to conclusions before assessing the situation.'

The others in the group quickly bow as well, and as one, they all apologize. Strange lets them finish before speaking.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Although I **accept **your apology, you are not at **fault**.'

He closes his eyes and nods to the group. They bow quickly once more and then disperse into the crowd. The thunderer turns to the mystic but before he can ask about the story behind the apology, Logan walks up and folds his arms as he looks at the other two.

**Thor:** 'How doth Betsy fair mine friend?'

**Wolverine:** 'She's doin' a **lot **better than when we left her; that Orihime girl's doin' wonders fer her.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'The girl with the amazing healing powers? I hope I can speak with her **more **when we finally confront and defeat Thanos; I find her abilities **fascinating**.'

**Wolverine:** 'Careful doc; yer startin' ta sound like that crazy **scientist**.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I will keep that in mind Logan. I **am **curious as to how you got back to the human world.'

**Wolverine: **'I caught up with Hisagi and it wasn't **hard **ta convince him to see her. When we got back he said he had ta take care of somethin' fer the old man.'

**Thor:**'Ah, Rangiku hath said similar words before she left us.'

**Wolverine: **'**Thought **I smelled her 'round.'

As the heroes converse, a loud gong sounds throughout the area and the many conversations that are going on around them cease instantly!

**Wolverine:**'Looks like somethin's 'bout ta **happen**.'

**Dr. Strange:** '**Sshhh**.'

All around them, soul reapers quietly form ranks and files to be more organized for whatever is about to happen. Shortly, another gong resounds around the area and the head captain can be seen walking slowly down the make-shift, rope-lined walkway; he is followed by his lieutenant. Another gong sounds and Soi Fon and her lieutenant enter next as they mirror Yamamoto by turning right when the walkway ends and opens up to the wide expanse before the graves. Another gong. Thor notices that Lieutenant Izuru from the third squad is absent due to the healing of his wound that he suffered just hours before. In his place, Unohana and Isane of the fourth squad enter and then stand next to the representatives from the second squad. The drone of the gong signals the arrival of the sixth squad captain, Byakuya Kuchiki and his red-haired lieutenant, Renji Abarai. Seconds pass before the fifth knell tolls the introduction of Saijin Komamura and Tetsuzaimon Iba of the seventh squad. They, too, take a right and stand next to the captain of the sixth squad. Another bell tolls; Captain Kyoraku of the eighth squad can be seen walking down the ramp as his always proper lieutenant, Nanao Ise, walks behind him. When they get to the end of the walkway, the captain leads Nanao left and stands right at the beginning of the split. A seventh gong rings out around the area, and shortly, Shuuhei comes out representing the ninth squad. He also takes a left and goes to stand on the left side of the hatted captain. All throughout this display, everyone is silent and the only thing that can be heard is light breathing and the crackling of the fires as they burn atop the torches. Gong. The shortest of the captains walks out next followed by his blonde-haired lieutenant. Logan grins as he gets a good look at Toshiro's face; the tenth captain seems uneasy with all eyes on him and Rangiku. The white-haired youth steps quickly to the left of Shuuhei and waits paitently. The wind blows gently throughout the area and the feral mutant picks up on Hulk's scent who has been absent before now. He turns around and notices the jade giant lingering in the back of the gathered soul reapers trying hard not to draw attention to himself. Gong. The noise brings Logan's head back to the front as he watches the wild captain of the eleventh squad stroll down the rope-lined pathway. Until they make a left at the end of the path, Kenpachi's pink-haired lieutenant isn't even seen as she follows closely behind her captain. Gong. The eccentric twelfth captain makes his entrance, followed by his passive lieutenant, Nemu; they make their way to the left of Captain Zaraki. Ten minutes pass when the final gong revirberates around the area as Captain Ukitake of the thirteenth squad makes his way to the burial site. Dr. Strange notices that he isn't followed by his lieutenant and briefly wonders why. When everyone is accounted for, Genryusai Yamamoto steps up to speak. With a deep voice that captures the attention of every soul reaper in attendence, he begins;

**Yamamoto:**'By now you all know why you have been called out here. A great tragedy has befallen our home and the captain's of the thirteen court gaurd squads feel it necessary to honor those who've recently fallen.'

A continued silence blankets the area.

**Yamamoto: **'A soul reaper's role is to maintain the balance of life and death between the world of the living and soul society. When a human dies, we perform soul burial upon their soul so that they may transfer to the society and live in peace.'

Many soul reapers in the crowd nod to the head captain's words.

**Yamamoto:** 'However, when a soul finds new life in soul society and then eventually dies, their life does not truly end. Their soul is, once again, transported back to earth where they can start a new journey with no memory of their old life.'

As the wisened man speaks, Dr. Strange nods his head in understanding. He thinks to himself; _I believe that answers my question. It seems reincarnation does exist in other realms as well. _Another gong brings Stephen out of his thoughts and he sees four soul reapers, with their faces covered, carrying out the first of the dead. The body is wrapped in a white sheet and the quartet proceed down the rope-lined pathway. This display continues until the remaining twenty-five are carried out. Once every one of the departed is positioned near their graves, they're all lowered in simultaneously.

**Yamamoto:**'These graves will serve as a reminder of why we exist. Thanos may not be a native enemy to us and soul society, but he has reigned terror and destruction upon us that can never be forgiven! Mourn your fallen comrades, but let this be a day of celebration as well. In the coming days we will bring the fight to this creature and he will know what we stand for!'

As he finishes his speach, another toll rings out and the soul reapers that surround the graves begin to cover them with the earth that is beside each resting spot. As they finish, most of the captains come down to mingle with those that are gathered. Hulk rejoins the other heroes and he's accompanied by Ikkaku and Yumichika. Ikkaku props Hozukimaru over his shoulder and grins at the others.

**Madarame:** 'Head captain sure can make a **speech **huh?'

**Yumichika: **'It wasn't as **beautiful **as I expected.'

**Wolverine:** 'Beauty ain't the **only **thin' in life, bub.'

**Yumichika:** 'It is in **mine**.'

Logan hears the light sound of bells before the eleventh squad captain is even ten feet away.

**Wolverine:** 'Heads up, Hulk; yer **buddy's** comin' this way.'

Shortly, as predicted, the wild captain walks up to the group and grins as he looks around at the people gathered. He fixes his patchless eye on the shortest member; Wolverine.

**Kenpachi:**'Hey; yer that guy who took on Soi Fon ain'tcha?'

**Wolverine: **'That's a **long **time ago bub.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Yeah, but I wonder if ya want ta go a couple rounds with a **real **opponent.'

He grips the sword that is tucked into his obi unconsciously. Logan looks the tall captain in the eye as he says;

**Wolverine:**'Trust me bub, Soi Fon's **damn **real.'

Kenpachi huffs but before he can comment, Soi Fon appears a few feet from Logan and addresses the mutant without looking at the spikey-haired soul reaper.

**Soi Fon:** 'Logan; come with me.'

She spins on her heel, letting her captain's haori dance with her movements. Logan smirks and says;

**Wolverine: **'That's my **cue**; I'm gonna take a raincheck on yer **offer **Zaraki. Maybe after we take care o' Thanos, then we'll **talk**.'

He and the captain of squad two vanish via flash step as Yachiru pops up from Kenpachi's back.

**Yachiru:** 'Awe, I thought Kenny was gonna have fun with hairy.'

She frowns slightly before Hulk speaks up.

**Hulk:** '"**Hairy**"; that's cute. I'm sure that guy wouldn't mind going toe to toe with your captain.'

Her eyes light up and she nods at "green-green".

**Hulk: **'Anyways, I haven't eaten since before we left for hueco mundo; I'm **starving**. Where can a guy **my **size get something to **eat**?'

Kenpachi grins.

**Kenpachi: **'Come on, Hulk; there's a place in the Rukon district that I like ta go to.'

He looks past the larger green-skinned man and addresses his third and fifth seats.

**Kenpachi: **'You guys comin'?'

**Yumichika:** 'I can't pass up a free meal.'

**Ikkaku: **'As long as there's sake, I'm in.'

**Kenpachi:** 'I never said it'd be **free**, ya moucher.'

The soft-skinned soul reaper with feathers adorning his face hangs his head in dissapointment but follows after everyone anyway. Shortly after the five leave, Shunsui and Rangiku casually walk up to the remaining two heroes.

**Shunsui: **'Hey there; Yama-jii said to celebrate and I was thinking the best way to honor him would be to go all out. Care to join us?'

**Thor:** 'Twud be mine honor. Stephen; doth thou care to join us?'

**Dr. Strange: **'My **apologies**; I am afraid I will have to decline this time.'

The laid-back captain nods and turns to leave. Matsumoto grabs the thunderer by the elbow and as the mystic looks on, she picks up Renji and Shuuhei as well. The sorcerer smiles at the carefree nature of his hosts before vanishing from the graveyard.

Logan keeps pace with the lithe captain of squad two and by the way she's running, the mutant can tell she's enjoying herself. Within minutes, they reach their destination; Soi Fon's office.

**Wolverine: **'No offense darlin', but what're we doin' **here**?'

The woman with the two long braided tails turns to the taller man and squints at him.

**Soi Fon:** 'I'm... treating you to dinner...'

Logan's blue eyes go wide with genuine shock! He takes off his mask and lets it hang free down his back as he just stares at the raven haired soul reaper.

**Soi Fon:** '... Say something **mongrel**! Y-you're not telling me that this **meaningless **gesture has you speechless, are you?'

**Wolverine:**'I can't say I know ya very well, but this's a side of ya I never thought I'd see.'

**Soi Fon:** 'I do not do this. **Ever**. Lady Yoruichi suggested that I get to know you while you're here; that is what I'm doing.'

She looks away momentarily as she attempts to hide the light flush that wells up in her cheeks. She quickly turns around and makes her way into the office without looking back to see if the mutant is following her. Logan stares after her for a second and rubs the back of his neck before following her into her domain.

Hulk can hear cicadas and crickets chirping as he follows Kenpachi and his subordinates through the streets of the eightieth district of Rukon; Zaraki. Before they get too far, Yachiru hops off of her captain's back and says good-bye to the group before flash stepping away. A few minutes later, they walk down a dirt-covered street. He looks around and sees fires burning freely in drums and several people hanging about the run down buildings. Their hard expressions soon dissapear as the quartet pass, and some even rush inside near-by buildings as their eyes come across the eleventh squad captain.

**Kenpachi:** 'What a bunch of **weaklings**; ta think I grew up around here.'

**Hulk:** 'This is your old stomping grounds?'

**Kenpachi:** 'The place might be a dump, but they've got the best food just down the way.'

The eye patch-wearing soul reaper grins as he talks about the place where they're going. As they round a dark corner they see, situated between two dilapidated buildings, a half-way decent structure with light pouring out from its doorway and into the street. Kenpachi makes the bells at the tops of his hair jingle as he jerks his head in the direction of the restaraunt.

**Kenpachi:**'This here's the place; C'mon.'

Before they enter the establishment, a patron is roughly thrown out into the street! He gets up and dusts himself off before laughing heartily and then walking into the shadows.

**Hulk:** 'Looks like **your **kind of place.'

**Ikkaku:** 'Captain; you've never brought me here.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Im bringin' ya here **now **ain't I?'

Kenpachi and Hulk have to duck as they cross the threshold; almost immediately all talking and noise stops when they enter the room!

The eighth squad captain leads the three lieutenants and the god of thunder to a fancy, yet tranquil restaurant that has soft music coming from within. The easy-going Shunsui Kyoraku smiles as he lets the others go ahead of him. Rangiku's blue eyes sparkle as she takes in the drink selection that lines the walls.

**Rangiku:**'Oh, Captain Kyoraku! I've **never **been here before; how did you **find **this place?'

**Shunsui:** 'I have my **ways**, Rangiku-chan; it's only open at night and you have to have a captain's **approval** to enter.'

As if on cue, before the group can go in further, a waitress comes over and looks at the tall hatted man. He turns around and pulls down the flower kimono that he always wears over his captain's haori. She takes in the kanji that is stitched into the white fabric and simply bows as she smiles. She moves to the side and motions with her hand for the five to make themselves comfortable.

Dr. Strange, meanwhile, reappears outside of Sei Rei Tei and on the outskirts of the Rukon district. As he touches down and closes his eyes, he can feel the potency of the original barriers that he put up days before. Once he opens his eyes, he claps his hands together; as the small sound reverberates around the area, his hands glow red and he places his palms down on the ground. Instantly, a transparent wall of glowing magick spreads throughout the woods until it vanishes from sight. He closes his eyes once more and vanishes as quickly as he appeared.

As Logan kneels down across from the stealth force commander, he can't help but look at her. She has her eyes closed and seems uneasy to this one-on-one meeting. Soon, a male soul reaper quietly steps into the room carrying two glasses and a pot of green tea. The mutant sniffs the air and the aroma from the pot is the finest he's ever smelled! He smiles even though he's a little dissapointed that it's not sake the man brings out. He sits a glass down in front of each person and soundlessly pours their drinks. Logan waits for the captain to pick up her glass before he takes off his gloves and picks up his as well. As Soi Fon sips the steaming liquid, she makes eye contact with the man across from her.

**Soi Fon:** 'Where did you learn your **etiquette **from? It's... **passible **for a gaijin.'

She closes her eyes once more before he answers.

**Wolverine: **'Be careful; if others hear ya talkin' like that, they might just mistake it as a compliment.'

She stares at him for a few seconds longer before she responds.

**Soi Fon:** 'Let others hear what they wish; you still didn't answer my question.'

Logan takes another sip of his tea as he looks at the reserved woman.

**Wolverine:** 'Let's just say I've had more than a **few **years practice with the Japanese way o' life.'

**Soi Fon: **'I see.'

With that, the same soul reaper returns with hot towels and chopsticks. Another soul reaper, female this time, brings out a salad for each of them. Logan takes in the bed of seaweed and octopus as he picks up his intricately carved hashi.

**Soi Fon:** 'I hope you like **fish**; I detest meat, so we'll be having fugu and uni. Do not worry; the chefs know **exactly **how to cut and serve the fish.'

**Wolverine:** 'I'm not **too **worried 'bout dyin' by **blowfish **toxin; I'm pretty durable. The sea urchin is kinda tough though. What 'bout **you**; ain't ya worried 'bout if they screw up?'

The second squad captain smiles as she eats a bit of her salad.

**Soi Fon:** 'You don't need to be **concerned**; I'm immune to **most **poisons, and Suzemebachi can counteract any poison I can not overcome myself. I **am **curious about your unique ability to heal. On top of **that**, you used many different fighting styles in our battle; some of which I've **never **seen before. The ones that I **know**, however, have taken over fifty years to **master**, but you don't seem to be more than **forty**.'

He smiles at her as he continues to eat.

**Wolverine: **'When did this **date **turn into an **interrogation**, darlin'?'

The captain covers her mouth as she almost chokes on the last of her salad.

**Soi Fon:** '... I never said this was a "**date**"... I am commander of the stealth force; my **questioning **sometimes comes off as **blunt**.'

The male soul reaper who originally brought out the tea comes back and refills their drinks. Another reaper comes out and takes away the empty dishes.

**Wolverine: **'Ya don't seem like the **type **ta have this many people waitin' on ya. Somethin' tells me yer lieutenant has somethin' ta do with this set up.'

**Soi Fon:** 'Your intuition is **almost **as good as your physical senses. That man finds any excuse to use his money in ridiculous ways.'

Logan takes a drink of his tea before getting back to the captain's original line of questioning.

**Wolverine:** '**Alright **Soi Fon; where I come from, we got people with an extra gene called "mutants". I'm **one **'o them.'

He raises his right hand and points to the back of it with his left index finger.

**Wolverine:** 'My claws are part o' my **powers**. I've got heightened senses ta boot, along with a healin' factor that you've seen **personally**.'

By this time, two soul reapers bring out the main course of blowfish and sea urchin. They also bring out, to Logan's surprise, a jug of sake and two more glasses! The mutant smiles at his host who's eyes warm as she smirks.

**Soi Fon:** 'Continue your story; the more information I have, the more I may **trust **you.'

Wolverine takes a drink of his tea before continuing.

**Wolverine:** 'I'm not much of a **talker **darlin'; especially when it comes ta my own life.'

**Soi Fon: **'Humor me.'

**Wolverine:**'... Alright. My name's not really "Logan"; it's James Howlett, and I'm over a hundred years old.'

He waits for this to sink in as the captain's grey eyes go wide for a second.

**Soi Fon:** '"A hundred years"? You're **human **though; I've never heard of anything like this.'

**Wolverine: **'Maybe not in **your **world, but it makes sense in **mine**. I've trained for **nearly **all my life and I've mastered **almost **every form of combat; armed and unarmed.'

"James" takes a few bites of his food and lets the flavor saturate his senses. He pours himself some sake as he finishes chewing.

**Wolverine:** 'I might be **Canadian**, but my heart belongs to **Japan**.'

**Soi Fon:** 'That would explain your knowledge of our customs and language.'

**Wolverine: **'I spent a lotta years here; I mean **my **Japan. I was imprisoned during World War Two and after I escaped, I got caught in the atomic bomb that went off at **Nagasaki**.'

**Soi Fon:** 'That is an era that is well documented in our archives. Many souls were brought to soul society during that time.'

**Wolverine: **'I **bet**. Seems like our world's histories run parallel with just a few changes here and there.'

**Soi Fon:** 'It would seem.'

As they continue to eat, the mutant picks up his glass of sake and downs it in one swig.

**Soi Fon: **'Careful, Logan; my sake is **almost **as potent as Captain Kyoraku's.'

**Wolverine: **'**Good**. Maybe ya could get a couple more jugs sent over then.'

He grins at the female who has definitely softened her demeanor towards the hairsuit man.

While Logan gets more acquainted with the second squad captain, Hulk sits down in a corner of the dive that the eleventh captain has brought him to. As the green goliath looks around, he notices the place is actually bigger inside than it looks from the outside. At the center-back is a bar with an older man tending to a few patrons that are sitting on the stools. To the right of the bar is a buffet-style area where two chefs are busy preparing dishes and several tables are occupied by the denizens of the eightieth district, Zaraki. The bald third seat of the eleventh squad grins at the jade giant.

**Ikkaku:** 'What're ya gonna have big guy?'

**Hulk:** 'I don't know what they've got, so I was going to order two of **everything**.'

The captain of the eleventh squad closes his eye and smirks.

**Kenpachi: **'How ya gonna **pay **for all of it?'

The green goliath folds his arms across his chest and looks over at the bloodthirsty soul reaper.

**Hulk:** 'I was going to put it on **your **tab.'

**Kenpachi: **'What makes ya think I'm gonna let ya do that?'

**Hulk: **'I'll give you "Hulk-Kenpachi: round two".'

**Kenpachi:** '**Better** make it worth my time.'

With that, Ikkaku and Yumichika go up to the chefs and start to order food for the group. Hulk turns back to the only man left at the table and catches the eye patch-wearing soul reaper staring at him.

**Hulk: **'What?'

**Kenpachi:**'How'd **you **become **you**?'

**Hulk:** 'You're joking right?'

**Kenpachi: **'I've seen some crazy **shit **since I've been here, but I'd **never **thought I'd see anyboby stranger than Komamura. Then **you **come along.'

The jade giant frowns at the man across from him.

**Hulk: **'I'm just me; big and green. There's nothing else to it.'

The captain laughs hard before pushing his questions.

**Kenpachi:** 'I've seen ya **change**; there's more to ya than just that over-muscled form. How'd it **happen**?'

**Hulk:** 'Where I come from, we have weapons of mass destruction called "bombs". I-'

**Kenpachi:** 'I'm not **stupid**; I know what **bombs **are.'

**Hulk:** '**OK**... the guy you've seen before is called Bruce and he was caught in a gamma bomb explosion that **should've** killed him. It didn't and I was "**born**" from that explosion.'

By this time, the two seated officers come back from ordering and pull up an extra table to accomodate everyone's order.

**Ikkaku: **'What'd we **miss**?'

**Kenpachi:** 'Hulk's explainin' where he came from.'

**Yumichika: **'Don't you mean how he became so **ugly**?'

The feathered soul reaper flashes a nonchalant smile in Hulk's dierection and the gamma-irradiated behemoth returns it with an intimidating crack of his large, green knuckles.

**Hulk:** 'As I was **saying**; Ever since, I've been hunted by **nearly **everyone on my earth. People either want to **use **me because of my strength or experiment on me because of my... **unique **origin. To tell you the truth, I'm here now because Dr. Strange needed my strength. Even here, that scientist of yours wants to **dissect **me!'

**Kenpachi:**'Don't get too worked up; Mayuri wants to dissect **everybody**. I'd **kill **him if it wouldn't be a waste of my time.'

The captain sits back and waits for Hulk to continue. Before he does however, two females come over carrying four large jugs of alcohol. They set the clay containers upon the table and Ikkaku becomes more alert. Kenpachi looks at the jugs and then away as he addresses his third seat.

**Kenpachi: **'Ya know I'm only pickin' up **big green's **tab, **right**?'

The bald man starts to sweat a little as he looks at his captain.

**Ikkaku:** 'But **captain**; this's a once in a lifetime opportunity, given by the head captain himself, to go all out!'

**Kenpachi:** '**Whatever**; just don't complain ta me when yer pukin' yer guts out later.'

Madarame grins and looks over to Yumichika who flips his hair back, satisfied. As Hulk grabs a jug all to himself, the two seated officers frown but grab glasses and begin to pour their own drinks. The green goliath continues where he left off.

**Hulk: **'For a long time, I just wanted to be left alone. I wanted to find a place where no one could reach me. The peace I do find never lasts and I then I get thrown into another fight.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Pfft. **Peace **doesn't do anybody any good. Give me a good **fight **any day. Someone as big and tough as you should **love **ta fight!'

**Hulk:** 'I'm not that way **anymore**; I'm tired of people always trying to use me. I do whatever I want **now**.'

He takes a swig from the earthen jug that he holds in his large green hand. Ikkaku smacks him on his shoulder agreeingly.

**Ikkaku:** 'That's the spirit!'

Just then, two women and a man come over with the first wave of the quartet's food. Hulk looks at the display and grins.

Kyoraku leads the lieutenants and the thunderer to a quiet place in the back of the softly lit establishment. As the god of thunder looks around, he sees a woman dressed in a beautiful kimono playing a tall wooden instrument that he recalls looks like a guitar. The sound that is heard is soft, yet powerful; as he listens, he becomes instantly at ease!

**Thor:** 'That doth be a most **magnificent **sound she makes with that instrument! Captain Kyoraku; what be thy name of yon instrument?'

The hatted man looks up nonchalantly and smiles at the god's curiosity.

**Shunsui:**'Oh that? It's called a "shamisen", and she's the **best **player this place has. I could introduce you to her if you'd like.'

The tenth squad lieutenant hastily pushes the tall god along while trying not to panic.

**Rangiku:** 'That won't be necessary captain! T-Thor just wants to enjoy the company he has **now**, don't you?'

The Asgardian lets the blonde soul reaper push him into the booth as he smiles.

**Thor: **'Do not **worry **fair lady, mine time spent with thee will surely be enough.'

She smiles at this while Renji elbows Shuuhei who just shrugs. Shortly after sitting down, a waitress comes over to take their drink order. Captain Kyoraku holds up two fingers and says;

**Shunsui:** 'I'll have two bottles of your finest sake.'

The waitress nods and starts to leave when Matsumoto speaks up.

**Rangiku:** 'Wait, that was just for him. I'll have two as well please!'

Renji's jaw drops as he looks over at the busty female.

**Abarai:**'Matsumoto-san! Captain Kyoraku brought you here out of kindness; try not to be **rude**.'

**Kyoraku:** 'It's **fine**, Abarai-kun; tonight's on me.'

The red-haired lieutenant's eyes go wide as he looks back to Shuuhei, who's expression mirrors his own.

**Abarai:** 'In that case, I'll have a bottle too.'

**Hisagi:** 'Only one for me as well please.'

**Thor:**'Mine fellows plan on staying late into the night twud seem. I shall not **dissapoint**; bring Odin's Son his very own store of sake as well!'

The woman quickly looks to the captain for approval and the soul reaper nods his OK. The woman bows and hurries to the back to start their drinks. As the group waits for their alcohol, Shunsui starts a conversation.

**Shunsui:** 'So, why does a **god **travel with humans?'

Odin's Son looks over to the curious soul reaper who seems to always have a lazy expression adorning his stubbled face.

**Thor: **'These **heroes **be my comrades in battle **and **in life. Over many years I have grown quite fond of Midgard; Earth.'

**Shunsui:**'From what I've read of Hitsugaya's report on you, you're pretty powerful.'

**Thor:** 'The young captain doth speak **truthfuly**; the **Allfather **hath bestowed upon me great power indeed.'

Shortly, two women come to the table with the group's large order of drinks. The table is large enough to accommadate the jugs and still have enough room for the ensemble to sit comfortably. Shunsui pours himself a drink and lifts his cup to the others.

**Shunsui: **'To a great evening.'

The remaining four serve themselves and then raise their glasses to the captain.

**Rangiku/Renji/Shuuhei: **'Kampai!'

**Shunsui: **'Kampai!'

Even though Thor doesn't take part in the salute, he does down his first cup of alcohol with the rest of them. The thunderer situates himself a little better on the large pillow that is under his knees before striking up a conversation.

**Thor:**'Captain Kyoraku; earlier thou didst ask why I would throw my lot in with humans. Art yon soul reapers curious about mortals?'

The hatted captain also readjusts himself slightly before tipping his hat up to get a better look at his companion.

**Shunsui:**'I try not to get involved with human affairs too often. Besides, being a captain keeps me pretty busy y'know.'

**Rangiku:**'But captain, I thought Leiutenant Nanao did all of the paperwork for squad eight?'

The two other leiutenant's jaws drop at their peer's blatant questioning.

**Shuuhei: **'M-Matsumoto-san!'

**Renji:** 'Idiot!'

The laid back captain closes his eyes as he smiles.

**Shunsui:** 'Ah, so I **am **talked about during the Soul Reaper's Women's Association meetings.'

He turns back to the god of thunder.

**Shunsui:** 'On top of me being so **busy**, normal humans can't see us the way everyone can see you. Soul society has strict rules when it comes to using a gigai, and I rather like the peacefulness of this place compared to the world of the living.'

As the captain talks, Rangiku occupies her time by pouring herself another drink and downing it!

**Thor:**'Those be all good reasons captain. Twas a long time ago that my Father, Odin, banished me to Midgard fort mine arrogance. We hath healed art relationship since, but I didst choose to stay among the mortals to learn their ways and lend mine strength when needed.'

The tenth squad leiutenant leans across the table, already a slight flush to her cheeks, and says;

**Rangiku:** 'I couldn't picture **you **as arrogant Thor! Maybe a little proud, but with muscles like yours, why wouldn't you be!'

The two male lieutants pull the busty female back on her pillow as the waitress comes out once more. Kyoraku casualy orders food for the whole table, and judging by the other's reactions, Thor believes he made great choices. Knowing nothing about the cuisine here, the thunderer lets the captain order for him as well. The five sit for a while just enjoying the atmosphere and each other's company. Within minutes, their food arrives and everyone sits up with eager expressions on their faces. When the bowls of food are finally situated, Matsumoto claps her hands together as she says;

**Rangiku: **'Itadakimasu!'

The lieutenant of the sixth and ninth squads repeat her, albeit with less enthusiasm.

**Thor: **'What didst thou just say?'

**Shunsui:** '"**Itadakimasu**". It translates to "I humbly recieve". It's how we say thanks for a meal.'

**Thor:**'Yon culture tis fascinating! I shall humbly recieve **mine **meal as well.'

The four soul reapers laugh at the thunderer's interpretation before they all take part in their meals.

While Thor and his companions begin their meals, Logan and Soi Fon are finishing theirs. As Logan drinks the last of his green tea he watches the woman across from him. The room they're in has a screenless window built into the wall behind the second squad captain. Logan smiles as the light of the moon flows in and washes over her small frame. Upon noticing his observing behavior, Soi Fon sets down her glass of alcohol and asks;

**Soi Fon:** 'What is it?'

**Wolverine: **'The way the light's shinin' just now makes ya almost **glow**.'

The captain's face, which is slightly flushed due to the sake, becomes just a shade darker because of the mutant's words. She answers him in a soft voice;

**Soi Fon: **'I... **told **you to take it slow on the sake... it seems to have already affected your **judgement**.'

Logan picks up his glass and pours the last remaing contents of the jug into it as he smiles.

**Wolverine: **'It's not a bad thing; I was just givin' ya a compliment.'

**Soi Fon: **'... Thank you.'

After the last of the dishes are cleared from the table, the soul reaper gets up and smooths her haori with her hands. Logan follows her lead as he rises from the pillow that he is sitting on. In her slightly inebriated state, she brushes uncharacteristically close to her feral companion. Logan smirks and reflexively catches her; sitting her upright. She gently pushes her head off of the mutant's muscled shoulder as she regains her balance. She makes her way to the door and slowly slides it open, letting the fresh night air in. She looks at him as he stands a few feet from her and motions with her hand to the door.

**Soi Fon:** 'I think... you should go...'

The mutant walks to the door and pauses in the threshold. He looks down at his host and she looks at him with half-closed eyes. He comes within a few inches of her ear and she moves her head to the side. He smirks at her reaction and whispers;

**Wolverine:**'Night Soi.'

She blushes again as he steps out into the night. He puts his gloves back on as she slowly closes the door behind him. He takes one more look at the captain's quarters before walking back to his room to get some sleep.

Bowls, plates and glasses litter the table and floor where Hulk and the squad eleven members are sitting. Additionaly, empty jugs of sake are strewn around them as Ikkaku, Yumichika, Kenpachi and Hulk all stretch out after the big meal. The bald third seat rubs his stomach from the inside of his kimono as he says;

**Ikkaku:** 'That was great captain! I can't eat another bite.'

The said captain of squad eleven, Kenpachi Zaraki picks at his teeth before answering.

**Kenpachi:** 'I **told **ya this was a great place; now quit yer belly achin' and let me digest in **peace**.'

Hulk's suppressed laugh rumbles in his chest.

**Kenpachi:** 'What's so **funny**?'

**Hulk:** 'The one thing you like to do quietly is **digest**. **That's **funny.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Shuddup.'

**Yumichika: **'The food was **good**, but I know it's all going to go straight to my perfect thighs.'

The three stop and look over to the fifth seat. He stops massaging his stomach and looks back at them nonchalantly.

**Yumichika:** 'It just means I'm going to have to work extra hard when we fight that **grotesque **creature.'

Zaraki shakes his head but smirks at his officer's resolve. After a few more minutes of quiet, six men stumble over to the quartet.

**man: **'Hey! You guys drank all the booze! I think ya owe us fer the share we was gonna drink!'

The other five slur their agreement as Hulk and the others look at each other. The green goliath picks up one of the only remaining upright jugs and downs the last vestiges of alcohol while the six drunk souls look on. The boisturous leader rolls up the right sleeve of his tattered shirt and then kicks the feathered fifth seat's sword that's propped up against the table! It falls over and clatters to the wooden floor. Yumichika looks down at his zanpakutou and then looks over to the aggressive drunk.

**Yumichika:**'That won't do; Fuji Kujaku **hates **to be abused.'

The man just gawks at the soul reaper.

**man:**'So? We don't care if you's guys're soul reapers! Stupid uppity ups! All ya do is **hide **in yer little "castle" and ferget about us out here in **Rukon**!'

He spits on the ground and clenches his fist. Hulk sighs and gets up while scatching his head. He towers over the six aggressors but the men don't back down; their "liquid courage" giving them an extra boost fearlessness.

**Hulk:** 'C'mon guys; let's go **outside **and settle this anyway you **want**.'

With Hulk's imposing physique looming over the men, they seem to momentarily re-think their approach on handling the situation. Before they can back too far away, Hulk brushes the six men outside with his large arms. Four of the men stumble upon exiting the building and Hulk stands in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest.

**Hulk: **'I think you've had enough to drink.'

Two of the men rush the jade giant without hesitation, thinking they alone can make the behemoth fall. One of the two pulls out a small knife and lunges at Hulk's exposed side, but the blade snaps in two against his tough hide! The green goliath raises his bare foot and stomps the ground, making the earth shake around him. The two men loose their balance and fall to the ground.

**Hulk: **'If this's all you've **got**, I think we're **done **here.'

He jerks his head towards his waiting companions inside.

**Hulk:** 'You know those guys in there are from the eleventh division right? I don't know what it's like **here**, but where **I **come from, attacking the military will land you in hot water. **Trust** me.'

The remaining four scurry over to their fallen comrades and pick them up as they high tail it into the shadowed recesses of Zaraki. Hulk sighs as he re-enters the restaurant.

**Kenpachi:** 'I hope ya didn't hurt 'em **too **bad.'

**Hulk: **'They weren't a threat; just **drunk**.'

**Kenpachi:** 'That's why I didn't get up.'

**Hulk:** 'Well, I'm going to bed; thanks for the food.'

As he starts to walk out the way he had come, the eleventh squad captain calls out to him.

**Kenpachi:** 'Don't **ferget **about our deal!'

Hulk just waves back at him before exiting. He walks a little ways before he leaps off into the night sky to make his way back to Sei Rei Tei and the eleventh squad barracks.

Even though the Norse god of thunder doesn't need food or drink to sustain his life, Thor still enjoys to eat with those he calls friends. Two waitresses come over and bow before removing the last few dishes that are on the table. Captain Kyoraku winks at the short-haired one on the left; she blushes slightly and giggles as she makes her way to the kitchen. Lieutenant Matsumoto drunkenly weaves from side to side as she quietly stares at the captain of the eighth squad. Without warning, she throws out her right index finger and points it at Shunsui!

**Rangiku:**'You're sssuch a flirt! I shaw yoush winksh at that waitressh!'

She lets out a loud laugh before falling silent as if nothing happened! The two other lieutenants on either side of her look at her then back at the hatted captain with confused expressions.

**Thor:**'She hath great spirit indeed! Mine hope is whenst this be over, ye wouldst come to mine Earth and par take with me in drink and merriment!'

**Renji:**'Thor-san, you drank... both of your jugs of sake and then ordered two more. I think you may be as drunk as Matsumoto.'

**Thor:**'Nay, soul reaper; mine fortitude be greater than this fermented liquid. I hath consumed the finest spirits in all of the Nine Realms; this - sake - be a grand drink, but it wouldst surely be naive to think that it be e'nou to best the Mighty Thor.'

After a minute of silence, due to Renji and Shuuhei's stunned shock, Kyoraku pulls down his hat and whistles to break the awkward moment.

**Shunsui: **'My my, these "nine realms" you speak of must have some interesting fellows.'

**Thor: **'Indeed.'

With that the thunderer gets up and nods his head toward the still sitting captain and the other soul reapers.

**Thor: **'Mine thanks fort this evening friends; I doth not want to be rude, but I must take my leave. Odin's Son doth not need sleep, but Mjolnir calls to me and I must answer his call.'

With his great hearing, Thor picks up on the whispering that transpires between Renji and Shuuhei.

**Renji: **'Did... he just say that he needs to use the bathroom?'

The ninth squad lieutenant rolls his eyes at his drunk partner before answering.

**Shuuhei:**'No, idiot; Mjolnir is his hammer. His weapon must call to him.'

The red-haired sixth squad lieutenant looks down at the large stone-like mallet that hangs from the god's belted waist and then back over to Hisagi. Because of his drunken state, Abarai continues to wonder out loud to the tattooed soul reaper on the other side of the female lieutenant.

**Renji: **Hey, Hisagi-san; if his... hammer were a zanpakutou... how **big **do you think it would be?'

**Hisagi:** 'What? I-I **won't** answer that.'

Before Renji can press his drunken line of questioning, Rangiku exclaims loudly;

**Rangiku:**'His zanpakutou wouldsh be **huge**!'

After she answers, she falls backwards, passing out in the process! With that, Kyoraku gets up as well and leads Thor outside where they part ways for the night.

**Editor's Notes: I hope you all had fun reading this chapter; I had fun writing it:) It showed a little down time and we got to see how Betsy was doing. Stay tuned, and Happy Reading!**

**Editor's Notes x 2: So I've been done with this chapter for a few days, but I've had trouble posting it. So when you finally get to read it, I apologize for it being so "late".**


	31. War

**Editor's notes: Hey, long time now read ;) I would apologize for this chapter being late, but April was my one year wedding anniversary and I felt that took priority over my writing:) I hope this chapter shows emotion. Let me know what you think and Happy Reading!**

**Disclaimer: Rrurikio and Llibelula are the only properties that "belong" to me. Of course I wouldn't have the inspiration for them if it wasn't for Kubo-san's creation of Bleach.**

**Marvel/Bleach**

**War**

It is mid-afternoon when Logan is awakened violently due to Dr. Strange screaming at him from inside his mind!

**Dr. Strange:** '**Everyone**! A mass of hollow have triggered my barriers on the outskirts of the Rukon district! Hurry and get there as fast as possible!'

In the background of his mind, Wolverine can hear Isane Kotetsu screaming out her own version of the warning. He rolls off of his futon and thinks to himself; _crazy magician, why'd he have ta go an' learn kido? _He quickly throws on his costume, pulling his mask on over his wiskered face, and flash steps out of his barracks.

The green goliath smiles as he once again regains control over the mind that is shared with Bruce Banner. He bends his powerful legs and smashes his way through the roof of his squad eleven quarters! He looks down as he easily clears the roofs of the other buildings and sees many soul reapers running about, trying to make sense of what the mystic and woman had to say.

**Hours earlier**

From last night, after the god of thunder left the company of the soul reapers, he wandered about soul society communing with his newly manifested hammer. It isn't until the sun is over-head that he realizes that he has walked out of Sei Rei Tei and into the districts of Rukon. Once there, he swings Mjolnir into the air and takes flight. Shortly, in the distance, he spots a black hole rip assunder the clear blue sky! He uses his hammer to alter his course, making his long red cape billow in his wake. It doesn't take long for the thunderer to reach his destination, and before descending upon the ground, he hovers for an instant to assess the situation. Within moments of his arrival, ten hollow creep out of the dark ressesses of the cavity. The monsters silently make their way to the ground that is only a few feet below them; completely unaware of the protector above their position. Thor frowns and furrows his brow into a scowl.

**Thor:** '**Nay**, creatures of Hueco Mundo.'

Lightning ripples around the head of his hammer. With one motion, the thunder god calls forth an enormous lightning bolt that strikes the lead hollow and instantly travels to its partners, disintegrating them in moments!

The ground smokes and is blackened from the energy that was used. Thor lands and looks up at the hole that is only five feet above his head and twenty feet away from his position. Before any more hollow emerge, Thor starts to swing his hammer over his head. Green energies start to emit from the head and a mighty wind begins to blow!

**Thor:** 'I wilt close this portal **mineself** so that **none** may traverse it aga'n!'

A minute goes by, and the energies that swirl around Mjolnir grow brighter and become more violent. The Garganta in front of him begins to close ever so slowly until suddenly, it opens two feet bigger and twenty-five more hollow burst from the swirling pitch!

**Thor:** 'By Odin's Beard! Doth yon **appearance** herald the coming of Thanos?'

As to answer him, they roar in chorus and the sound is almost deafening! The thunderer grips his weapon tighter and prepares himself for their advance. The skies darken and the winds begin to howl as he throws himself into the thick of the masked mass. The Asgardian warrior may look to be in his thirties at worst, but he is, in fact, countless of centuries old. Through that time, he has mastered nearly every form of combat that has come to pass. Even on his Earth, where numerous heroes are adept at the martial ways, he is still considered to be of the mightiest. These creatures before him are wild and nearly mindless; though they are strong, they are no match for the god's might or battle prowess. He cuts through them with a prescision that tells of his godhood. The thunderer lets fly his mighty hammer at a particularly large creature and it shatters its mask with the force of a freight train! Seeing its enemy weaponless, another hollow comes down hard with a spear-like appendage! Thor deftly blocks the attack with his forearm and notes that his new armor doesn't even scratch. In the midst of battle, he lets a small smile cross his lips as he mentally calls Mjolnir back to him. He controls his weapon with such prescision that instead of grabbing the handle as it nears, the god lets the head of the hammer smash into the side of the creature's face with tremendous force! Thor grips the hammer once more before the hollow disintegrates completly. Hours go by as wave after wave of hollow continues to flow endlessly out of the Garganta. Though his cape is ripped and singed in places, he is reletively unscathed from the unrelenting onslaught of his attackers. As he throws his hammer out once more to attack an airborn hollow, three more "Hulk-sized" creatures trap his two arms and one leg! A giant of a hollow comes running at the pinned god at full speed; it draws back one its four large arms and strikes Thor hard in the face, sending the god backward thirty feet, creating a large dust cloud in the process!

**Now**

Once disconnected from the god, Mjolnir falls to the ground in a cloud of dust and debris. Several hollow rush over to it to try and lift it. Once in close proximity to the mighty weapon, they start to fight each other to have the right to claim the discarded hammer. The giant hollow that struck Thor starts to charge a large cero from its masked forehead. When the ball of crimson energy is at its brightest, a wet cutting sound can be heard as the hollow's head flies from it body and lands a few feet from its vaporizing form! The smoking head soon follows suit and dissappears as well. Wolverine unsheathes his other set of claws and calls over his shoulder to the smoking crater where his companion still lies.

**Wolverine:** 'Get up goldilocks, that thin' didn't hurt ya **that** bad.'

The mutant hears rubble shift as Thor emerges from the dust; a deep frown playing across his facial features.

**Thor: **'Nay, it certainly didst** not**.'

The Canadian scrapper smirks as he flash steps into a group of closely knit hollow. As Thor looks around, he sees others join the fray as well. His drinking partners from last night, Shuuhei and Renji as well as the bald fighter from the eleventh division, along with his well-groomed friend. Suddenly, something large catches his eye over head and he looks up in time to see Hulk descending upon the battle ground. He lands fifty feet away and in a tremendous cloud of dust, destroying five hollow with just his landing! Instinctively knowing where his hammer has landed, Thor goes to retrieve it. Suddenly, he sees the proud noble and captain of the sixth squad, Byakuya Kuchiki, flash step in and effortlessly cut down the three hollow that were embattled over their futile attempt to possess the weapon! Thor beats back two more hollow on his way over to the stoic soul reaper, and he witnesses Byakuya cut down two more as well as they try and attack. Before Thor can summon his mystical weapon, the captain bends down and goes to lift it.

**Thor:** 'Mine thanks fort keeping it safe, but - '

The thunderer's words get swallowed as the soul reaper effortlessly picks up the enchanted mallet! Thor's blue eyes go wide before they twinkle with a smile.

**Byakuya:** 'I've read the inscription etched into your weapon; it appears that I **am **worthy, god of thunder.'

Thor takes the weapon from the captain's partially gloved hand.

**Thor:** 'Indeed. Now; let us **finally** fight as equals and quell this hollow threat!'

Before standing back to back with the captain, Thor sees a small smile play across the face of his rival.

After the dust settles from Hulk's massive entrance, three large hollow converge on his location. He rolls his massive shoulders and lets out a roar that equals theirs as he charges his enemies! A red-hot cero glances off of the green goliath's thick shoulder and he barely feels anything as the wound quickly heals. He punches the hollow that attacked him, shattering its bird beak-like mask and destroying the monster! With his sheer strength, he rips another creature in half and takes out two more with an enormous thunderclap from his hands! As the massive battle rages, not everyone has been accounted for, and as Hulk looks for another group of hollow to fight, he notices that Kenpachi has yet to arrive. He thinks to himself before engaging two more giant hollow; _that guy probably got lost trying to get here even after Strange mentally told him where to go. _

More and more hollow pour out of the swirling black nothingness as the entire landscape becomes swarmed with the creatures of Hueco Mundo. Wolverine tears into a group of five hollow ranging in size and build. They size the short man up, salivating at what they believe to be an easy meal. Logan bares his canines in response to their underestimation and easily avoids a blast of energy that a hollow with a goat's skull mask generates. He slices off the hollow's left leg at the knee joint before blocking another hollow's attack with his left hand. He winces as the creature's talons sink into his skin before stopping at his adamantium laced radius. He uses the hollow's hesitation to his advantage by ripping through its own armor-covered forearm before destroying the now one-legged creature that originally attacked him! While flash stepping around his advesaries, he quickly dispatches the remaining four hollow. As the gusts of wind created by the god of thunder blow the remnance of the creatures away, Logan smirks as he catches a familiar scent.

**Soi Fon:** 'The only **regret **I have in seeing you destroy these hollow is that they won't be purified and be allowed to pass into soul society.'

**Wolverine:** 'Sorry darlin'; I didn't know ya cared that much.'

The captain smirks before flash stepping to the mutant's side.

**Soi Fon:** '**I** do not. It is just a soul reapers **job **to maintain the balance of souls between worlds.'

**Wolverine:** 'Is that right? I **could **set this one out if it'd make ya happy.'

**Soi Fon: **'I doubt that **you **of all your allies could stand idly by while a battle raged. Besides; seeing a being of **your **worth not using their full potential would **sicken **me.'

She smirks and flash steps away to leave Logan shaking his head. He sees her a few yards off drawing her sword and "cleansing" two hollow. He pops his claws once more with and audible "SNIKT" as he reengages the seemingly endless sea of hollow.

After finishing alerting everyone to the breach of his barriers, Dr. Strange teleports himself to the site of the conflict. He frowns as he looks over the ensuing chaos below him. He sees two captains and several lieutenants have already answered his and Isane's call, and several other soul reapers have also joined the conflict. He looks over to the chaotic black energy that is the Garganta and frowns. He closes his eyes and begins to concentrate on sealing the portal shut with his own will and learned knowledge from Urahara. Just as he gets started, however, his eyes snap open as he senses two familiar energy signatures traverse the portal. He stares at the two white-clad arrancar that confidently walk out of the Garganta's mouth. The female arrancar, Llibelula, comes out with a deep scowl etched onto her bone-laden face and her slender arms folded across her chest. Rrurikio, who still has a forelorn expression adorning his face, walks out with his arms by his side. Instead of descending to the ground where the majority of the battles are taking place, the two just stand in mid-air, surveying the bedlam that they undoubtedly unleashed. The mystic casts a concealment spell on himself to avoid unwanted attention before refocusing on closing the hole in space. Dr. Strange can feel the powerful energies of the Garganta resist his equally formidable magicks.

Meanwhile, Thor and Byakuya have split apart while taking on their own group of hollow. The thunderer watches the captain take on opponent after opponent with a grace and prescision that is hard to describe. He resolves himself to not be out done by the soul reaper, so he takes to the skies and calls forth a mighty hail storm that obliterates ten hollow while scattering thirty more! As everyone is locked in their own battles, Llibelula looks over to her partner and huffs. She dissapears from her position with the sound of imploding air, and within seconds destroys the hollow that each hero is fighting! Hulk puts up a gaurded stance when he realizes what has happened. The soul reapers continue to fight, as she didn't interfere with their battles. Still standing above the battle ground, the arrancar speaks softly to the gathered trio.

**Llibelula:** 'I want to know which one of you **killed **Serppiente.'

Hulk looks to Wolverine, who in turn, looks up at Thor. The god of thunder frowns at the female above him as he points his still smoking hammer at her.

**Thor:** 'I doth not knowest of what you **speak **arrancar.'

Logan puts a gloved hand on his ally's shoulder before stepping up.

**Wolverine: **'"Serppiente"? Ya don't mean that giant snake thin' back in Hueco Mundo, **do **ya?'

She glares at the shortest of the three heroes but doesn't say anything. The mutant grins confidently but then frowns before continuing.

**Wolverine:** 'Ya don't have ta answer; I can **smell** it on ya. Consider that thin's death **payback** fer what ya did ta Psylocke.'

He steps up clenching his fists in barely contained anger. Llibelula scowls at him from her elevated position. She too clenches her fists before disappearing! In a clash of metal on metal, sparks fly as the female's blade connects with Wolverine's adamantium claws! Through gritted teeth, Logan growls out to his teammates;

**Wolverine: **'I got **this**, ggrrah! Go an' make yerselves useful!

Hulk grits his teeth and clenches his own meaty, green fists as he sets his sights on the black-haired arrancar who hasn't left his position since this whole thing began.

**Hulk:** 'I'm **about** too.'

As Hulk leaps at his intended target, Thor sees ten gargantuan black hollow emerge from the fluctuating Garganta. Each massive hollow stands well over a hundred feet tall and they all have the same white, pointed-nosed masks adorning their faces. As the last of the black-clad hollow emerge from the swirling pitch, the whole in space closes violently behind them and the thunderer can sense Dr. Strange's energies at work. As Thor sets off to meet the newly arrived creatures, the front most hollow instantly becomes frozen in thick, shimmering ice!

**Hitsugaya:** 'They're called **Menos Grande**; gigantic hollow that are really just hundreds of smaller hollow that have been consumed by each other.'

Thor, while in mid-air, glances back at the calm boy-captain of the tenth squad. The god then uses his hammer to deflect a large cero fired off by one of the other Menos which redirects into a group of grounded hollow that the red-haired lieutenant of the sixth squad is fighting.

**Thor:** 'Yon hollow art **canibilistic**? Thy very nature of these beast doth be evil!'

He draws back his right arm and begins to swing Mjolnir by the thong located at the base of the handle. Like an olympian hammer thrower, Thor hurls his enchanted mallet at the frozen Menos! Toshiro's ice froze the creature to its very core and when the Uru hammer hits its mark, the hollow shatters into a million shards! The white-haired captain and blonde god work together to take down the remaining nine monsters.

Meanwhile, Llibelula manages to overpower her mutant opponent as she breaks the stalemate and kicks him hard in the chest, sending him through several trees! Scratched and bleeding in several places, Logan comes out of the trees rubbing his sternum. Through his mask, he glares at the taller blonde female. Her golden eyes, with the black sclera, are filled with the intention to kill her feral advesary. Wolverine brings his claws to bare once more as he flash steps from his position and reappears on the right side of the arrancar. He throws out a booted foot intended for her temple, but she deftly blocks it with her forearm and then counters with a slash from her sword, which is also blocked. The two parry each other continuously and neither one recieve anything other than superficial wounds. As the mutant breaks off his latest attack, he steps back several yards to assess the battle. He looks down at his right bicep that has a thick slash across the muscle. Seconds go by as the wound heals; leaving dried blood streaked down his hairy arm.

**Wolverine:** 'I have ta hand it to ya girl, yer puttin' up one hell of a **fight**. Looks like I've done a number on that little outfit that ya got on though.'

She looks down at her white attire and sees a multitude of rips and tears in it that are stained with her own blood.

**Llibelula:** 'This "**outfit**", as you put it, was never **mine **to begin with. I **killed **the original wearer in combat before taking it for cover.'

**Wolverine:** 'Whatever; it's not like I **care**. I was just takin' note on how yer bleedin' all over the place. Not too **long **before yer just another dead **hollow**.'

She looks down at her wounds once more and then slowly looks back up to meet the mutant's eyes. A small smile plays at the edges of her mouth before she whispers;

**Llibelula:** 'Oh yes, you've done a good amount of damage up to this point. I don't know how much **longer **I can keep this up.'

Logan's blue eyes go wide as he witnesses her body instantly heal every single one of the wounds he's inflicted so far! The sound of imploding air is all that the mutant hears before his right temple is struck by the kick that the female delivers! He flies through the air several yards before skipping across the rain soaked ground. He finally stops himself thirty yards from where he was hit and his body is covered in mud and debris. He sniffs the air to find her scent, but before he can pick up on it, he once again hears the sound of sonido; signifying the arrancar's pressence. He lets out a snarl as he blocks her tremendously strong sword strike and then counters with a swipe from his claws. Her speed is uncanny as his attack only manages to rip the free-flowing sleeve of her right arm. She smirks again as she connects with a knee to his solar plexus and then her blade sinks deep into his unprotected kidney! He coughs up blood and bile as she throws him back into the mud. Before the freezing rain created by Thor washes her opponent's life force from her sword, she looks at it while smiling. Logan clutches at his side as he struggles for breath. He digs his gloved hand into the soft earth as he slowly gets to his feet.

As Thor turns the frozen hollow into nothing, Hulk engages the female arrancar's partner, Rrurikio, in mid-air. The male's frown deepens even further as the jade giant approaches.

**Hulk:** 'I **got **you!'

Just as his fist is about to make contact with the powerful hollow, Rrurikio moves to the side and grabs Hulk's large wrist and elbow.

**Rrurikio: **'**No**; you do **not**.'

The size difference in the arrancar and the green goliath is astounding, but the smaller white-clad figure easily redirects his opponent and hurls him over his shoulder and back down to the rain-soaked ground below! The force of the impact sprays dirt and debris everywhere; even peppering some lower level soul reapers who have just arrived on the scene! As Hulk emerges from the crater his body has just created, the pelting rain begins to wash away the dirt that covers his large frame. He wipes a patch of mud away from his left eye as a low growl begins to build in his chest. The black-haired arrancar sonidos from his position and appears with an audible pop a few feet from the green goliath.

**Rrurikio:** 'You're **strong**, but you lack the ability to read your opponent.'

The gamma-irradiated behemoth frowns as he stands up to his full height; the weight of his massive frame causes his feet to sink a few inches into the wet ground.

**Hulk:** 'Great; instead of a **fight**, I get a **lecture**.'

With surprising speed, he slams his hands into the ground and digs up a huge chunk of earth and hurls it at the sad-looking arrancar! Rrurikio easily avoids the projectile but is surprised when Hulk slams into him and drives him into the ground! The jade giant unleashes a thunderous right hook to the hollow's face; breaking his nose and drawing first blood! He tries to follow it up with a strike from his left hand, but his opponent blocks it as he flips the much larger Hulk over using his legs. Both fighters rise to their feet at roughly the same time and stare at each other.

**Hulk:** 'I'd try again on that **theory **of yours if I were you. How's your **nose**?'

**Rrurikio:** '... This... **pain**... is nothing compared to what **you're** about to feel.'

He wipes the blood that has trickled down over his mouth away with the back of his hand. Before the Hulk's eyes, the broken nose that he gave the arrancar heals with incredible speed! The jade giant smirks as he clenches his fists.

**Hulk:** 'Good; I didn't want this to be **too **short of a fight.'

Before he can follow up on his words, Hulk's vision is destroyed by an insanely intense brilliance! He can feel the pain of a million hot needles pierce his retna as it seems that he has just looked upon the divine! He roars out in confusion and anger as he stumbles around with one hand clawing at his face and the other trying, futily, to grab his attacker. Through the pain and rage, Hulk can barely concieve the words that are being spoken to him by the arrancar.

**Rrurikio:** 'Did you know that if light is **intense **enough, it can cause permanent **blindness**? This ability is not originally mine, but over the years I have honed it to near **perfection**.'

Hulk's reply is an ear-splitting roar and an earth quake-like tremor the he causes by stomping his foot hard onto the ground! The shockwave is large enough that Rrurikio has to sonido out of the way and this causes enough of a distraction to break the arrancar's concentration. Hulk is hunched over with his back turned to the devestation that he has just caused. When the black-haired hollow reappears several feet from the canyon that Hulk's powerful leg created, he puts his hand on the hilt of his sword.

**Rrurikio:** 'Even without your **eyesight**, you remain a dangerous fighter. I will see how dangerous you are without your head.'

Before the powerful hollow takes a step forward, the jade giant slowly turns around. Pure rage is etched deep into his face as he wipes the last remnants of tears from his glazed-over eyes. As the arrancar looks on, he can see the color of his opponent's eyes change from a sightless pale grey to a light green. Within seconds, his blood-shot eyes turn from light green to a deep emerald hue with a burning rage that makes even the saddened arrancar take pause! He rises to his full height and Rrurikio can see that he has gone from seven feet, to at least 7'5" and his already impressive musculature has been doubled! The enraged giant's frame trembles with energy as he takes a step towards his advesary.

Thor, alongside Toshiro Hitsugaya and the newly arrived captain of the thirteenth squad Jushiro Ukitake, have destroyed seven of the nine remaining Menos Grande. Even though the god of thunder is engaged in battle, he's completely aware of his surroundings. He notices that even though the long-haired captain of the thirteenth squad seems frail at times, he is extremely well versed in combat and carries himself with a quiet calm and power. The last two gargantuan hollow easily fall before the combined might of the three gods and Thor nods his appreciation before turning his attention to the multitude of hollow below him.

Wolverine takes his hand, which is covered in his own blood, from his wounded kidney and looks at it through a crimson haze that clouds his vision. He smears his life force across his masked face like war paint before letting out a blood curtling roar that would chill most to their very core. The arrancar that he's fighting, however, just continues to smirk as the mutant charges her in a nearly mindless bloodlust! His wounded body, coupled with the anger that he feels towards the female has sent him into an unstopable berserker rage. Suddenly his vision is consumed by complete darkness and it momentarily stops his charge. Through the darkness, Logan can hear the arrancar whisper;

**Llibelula:** 'You're a **persistant **one. I hate to use this ability on one as **limited **as you, but you've given me no other choice. Now be still as I **end **you.'

As the female speaks, Logan breaths hard to try and regain control over the beast that dwells inside of him. As his mind slowly becomes his once more, he begins to think to himself. _What the hell? What'd this girl do to me? _He feels himself blink as he starts to take assement of his other motor skills. _My body seems ta be workin' just fine. She must've just turned the lights out on me. _He listens intently and picks up her soft foot steps as she walks in a circular pattern in the mud around him. She stops moving and plants her right foot; he hears her start to sprint towards him! He quickly thinks to himself; _must figure that I can hear her sonido, so she wants ta be "stealthy". _Judging from where the sound of unsheathing her sword comes from, Logan brings his claws up and blocks her first attack that was aimed at his head! A surprised gasp escapes the female's mouth as the sound of metal on metal reverberates around them. Logan growls;

**Wolverine:** 'What's the **matter**? Ya thought I couldn't fight without bein' able ta see ya? Yer gonna have ta do a lot better than this if ya wanna **beat **me!'

Through the darkness, the arrancar whispers her reply.

**Llibelula: **'I don't want to **beat **you; I want to **destroy **you!'

The mutant hears at least thirty "pops" of imploding air as the female sonidos around him at tremendous speed! He doesn't feel the first six cuts from her sword, but soon, he smells his own blood as it pours out of his body! Even without his sight he can feel her smile as she carves him up. Logan smells the excitement on her as her unrelenting assault dessimates his frame. As the first several wounds that she inflicted begin to heal, he can feel her slip under his defenses and sever the achile's tendon on his left leg! She follows it up with a presice cut to his right femeral artiry, before puntcuring his lung as she stabs him from under his rib cage! Logan grimaces as he begins to lose consciousness and falls to one knee! Suddenly, the veil of darkness lifts and he stares, with blurred vision, at the pool of blood that he's in. He strains to look up at the woman that stands over his dying form.

**Llibelula:** 'I want you to **see **this last part.'

She brings her sword down hard at the base of his skull and her eyes go wide once more as her blade stops an inch into his neck!

**Llibelula:** 'What?'

Through gritted teeth, Logan answers her.

**Wolverine: **'... What - cough- Thanos... ferget ta tell ya my bones are laced with **metal**? ... **Bitch**!'

He half coughs, half laughs at her shock. Her expression, however, quickly turns to that of rage as she lifts her opponent out of the pool of blood and mud and slowly slashes across his abdoman, making his inards spill out before throwing him through three trees! Before Wolverine hits the trees though, he sees Captain Kyoraku touch down quietly behind the enraged arrancar. As he loses consciousness, a small smirk frames his beaten and bloodied face.

Due to the Hulk's increased strength, his speed has increased as well. This takes Rrurikio by surprise as the jade giant rushes him like an out of control freight train! The arrancar draws his sword and stabs it right through the behemoth's charging green fist and the move buys him enough time to avoid a crushing blow. The wound barely slows Hulk down as he quickly turns and back-hands the black-haired hollow away from him! Breathing heavily, Hulk looks down at the small thing buried deep into his hand. He removes the blade and a small amount of green blood paints the wet ground. He roars in the direction that he sent his advesary crashing into a large tree. He then takes the sword, which is small in his hands, and begins to snap it in two! Rrurikio's otherwise complacent demeanor turns horrified as he witnesses what his opponent is about to do. He dissappears with incredible speed and kicks the green goliath hard in the face, staggering his large frame. Rrurikio then charges up a point-blank cero and unleashes the black energy right between the brute's eyes! The force of the impact completely engulfs Hulk's body and he drops the arrancar's sword which sinks deep into the mud. Hulk staggers as his gamma-irradiated cells are put into overdrive to knit his face and chest back together. Rrurikio looks down at his sword which was nearly destroyed by the jade giant. As Hulk screams out in anger and pain, the arrancar begins to speak.

**Rrurikio:** 'I had no idea that you possessed this much **power**! Who told you that my **true **power lies within this sword? Or did you try to **break **this blade because it **harmed **you? It doesn't matter; I have no other **choice **than to fight you at **full **strength if I want to beat you.'

As the smoke from the cero dissapates and Hulk finishes regrowing his eyes and lower jaw, the arrancar holds his sword out in front of him so that the blade points at Hulk's still smoking chest. He then flips his wrist, so that his palm is facing the sky, as he says in a solemn tone;

**Rrurikio:** 'Rampage, rinoceronte.'

The ground under the arrancar's feet gives way as his form is engulfed by thick smoke! A minute later, as Hulk's body completely recovers, the green goliath storms the smoke-filled area where Rrurikio was last seen. He throws a monstrous gamma-fueled punch into the smoke and his attack is stopped by something extremely hard! Through the haze, Hulk hears a deep voice speak;

**Rrurikio:** 'Your strength is **meaningless **now; I have unleased my true form and I will crush you under foot.'

The howling winds finally begin to blow the thick smoke away, and in doing so, reveals a completely transformed arrancar! The bony plating that went from his arm and up his neck has now morphed and become more dense. His long black hair is now concealed under an armored helmet that extends over his forehead and down the bridge of his nose. Between his eyes, juts out a two and a half foot horn that is razor sharp at the tip. The arrancar now stands at 10'5" and his mass has quadrupled! Most of the white uniform that he was wearing is now gone; destroyed by his sudden growth. His chest and shoulders are covered in the same bony armor that adorns his head, and his forearms and wrists are covered in gauntlets of thick armor as well. His once slender hands have become thick and powerful, with large bone knuckle coverings that resemble "brass knuckles". His white pants have ripped at the knee, revealing thick redwood-sized legs with big, stumpy rhino-like feet. The only thing that hasn't changed on the creature is his expression of complete sadness. Hulk is seething mad as his enemy holds his massive hand in his equaly emposing grip. The arrancar quickly releases the green goliath's fist and with the back of his armored hand, hits Hulk and sends him flying into the base of a cliff fifty yards away! As the jade giant soars involuntarily through the air, Rrurikio calls after him.

**Rrurikio:** 'This is my "Resureccion", **rhinoceros**; I am now, **easily**, every bit as strong as **you**.'

The powered-up arrancar hears a chilling laugh and manages to dodge a powerful sword stike that obliterates the ground he was just standing on!

**Zaraki:** 'If that's **true**, then I'm glad I got here when I did. I wouldn't want big green ta have all the **fun **without me!'

The large-horned hollow looks over at the smaller, wild-eyed man who stands across from him.

**Rrurikio:** 'Soul reaper.'

Kenpachi grins madly.

**Zaraki:** 'Arrancar.'

Time seems to stand still as the two powerful opponents square off. The freezing rain continues to bombard the surrounding area, but neither one seems to notice. The captain of the eleventh squad adjusts his weight as he props his weathered sword up on his shoulder.

**Zaraki:** 'So where's yer **sword**? I don't like ta fight an unarmed opponent.'

**Rrurikio:** 'This form doesn't require me to be armed, I **assure **you.'

**Zaraki:** '**Really**?'

The spikey-haired captain's smile becomes wider as he hears what the arrancar says. Before the soul reaper and hollow can engage each other, however, a roar is heard as Hulk emerges from the rubble at the base of the cliff he was sent into.

Dr. Strange, still cloaked under his spell of concealment, plays witness to the various battles that are raging all around him. He still does not sense Thanos, so he feels it is best that he does not get involved more than necessary. He sees Wolverine, battered and near death, fly through the air as the female arrancar is met with a new opponent in the form of the eighth sqaud captain. From his possition, and using a small sound amplification spell, he can hear their conversation through the din of the storm that Thor has summoned.

**Shunsui:** 'My, aren't **you **a violent one. I can imagine that man earning the ire of **many **woman, but I have to ask what he did to **you**?'

The blonde arrancar, surprised by the man's voice, spins on her heels to face the hatted captain.

**Llibelula: **'I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you, **soul reaper**.'

The way she says the words "soul reaper", makes them sound as if they were a curse. Kyoraku pulls his hat down over his eyes to hide his reaction.

**Shunsui: **'It's too bad that you're trying to **kill **everyone and take down soul society.'

The girl squints at the man with the two swords tucked into his obi.

**Llibelula:** 'Why is that?'

**Shunsui:** 'Now that I've gotten a better **look **at you, you're not too hard on the eyes!'

The arrancar's jaw goes slack and her eyes go wide momentarily at the captain's words! Within seconds she regains her composure and once again unsheathes her sword.

**Llibelula:** 'I never asked for your opinion on how I look.'

The brown-haired captain puts up his hands in a nonchalant defensive gesture.

**Shunsui: **'I mean no disrespect; it's just been a long time since I've seen an arrancar of your power. What do you say you stop your invasion so we can talk?'

**Llibelula: **'You're presumptuous to think that I **want **to talk. It didn't take the appearance of the **outsider** to persuade me to want to **destroy **you. I've hated you since I was "**born**".'

The captain tilts his head, but before he can press for answers, she dissappears and begins her attack! Her swings are hard and fast, but the long-lived soul reaper deftly dodges each strike with deceptively fluid movements. After he dodges another strike meant to take off his head, Kyoraku again stikes up a casual conversation.

**Shunsui: **'You fight well, but I've made it a habit not to raise my hand against a woman.'

She misses again with her sharp blade!

**Llibelula:** 'I didn't know soul reapers had noble qualities. It doesn't matter, I'll attack you with all that I have!'

Her sword gets dangerously close to slicing his straw hat in half as the wind from the near miss blows his pony tail about!

**Shunsui:** 'My, my; I'm not just **any **soul reaper. My name is Shunsui Kyoraku; **captain **of the eighth squad.'

It looks as if he bows in front of her, but what he's really doing is dodging yet another viscious sword strike! The female arrancar lets out her frustration in a scream as she breaks off her futile attacks and skips back a few feet. Shunsui folds his arms into his kimono and stands up straight to look at the livid woman as the wind whips about the flowered kimono draped over his shoulders.

**Llibelula:** 'A **captain**? Then I hold you even **more **responsible for what happened to me!'

**Shunsui:** 'What are you **saying**?'

**Llibelula:** '... Soul society **failed **in its most **important **job.'

This time, before the hatted man can question his opponent further, a seam in space starts to open up in the distance behind the arrancar! A menacing voice booms in the darkness as another Garganta opens before everyone.

**Thanos: **'Rrurikio! Llibelula! You **dissapoint **me, arrancars; did I not say that we will **destroy **this place when the time was **right**?'

The swirling pitch opens wide and hundreds of hollow pour out of the portal! Thanos steps out of the Garganta last, and as he looks around at the chaos surrounding him, he sneers. He folds his massive arms across his gold-plated chest and his red eyes smolder with untold power. As he takes another step forward in the tempest that howls around him, a being larger than even the titan appears and stands forty yards away from him.

**Komamura:** 'That is far enough **monster**!'

The titan tilts his head to the side as if trying to understand what the captain of the seventh squad just said.

**Thanos:** 'A "monster"? Do not attempt to **flatter **me, beast. You will either join me our be crushed beneath my boot.'

**Komamura:** A beast I may **be**, but this beast will be the one who **finishes **you!'

The large fox draws his zanpakutou and slashes the air in front of him. A second later, the area where Thanos is becomes obscured by a massive amount of earth that gets upended as Komamura's Shikai, Tenken, is unleashed! A large, dissembodied hand grips an enormous sword; most of which is buried deep in a heavily smoking crater caused as it struck the ground. Moments pass and the captain of the seventh squad grips his zanpakutou tighter. The massive floating hand does the same to its giant sword as well. As the smoke begins to clear, the powerful fox's eyes go wide with surprise as Thanos's silohuette becomes visible standing on top of Tenken's blade! He smiles grimly as his eyes flash with power.

**Thanos:** 'It appears that you did not bare **witness **to my **speed **in my previous appearance. You will remember my power **well **after this day.'

Before Sajin can react, the titan charges his gauntleted fist with cosmic energy and brings it down hard, striking the large blade and cracking the zanpakutou with one blow! Komamura, shocked, attempts to draw Tenken back and out of the reach of the maniacal titan. Due to its size, the large sword is slow to respond and Thanos easily sonidos to where the captain stands. He once again charges his fist with cosmic energies as he aims for the fox's head. Saijin manages to block the powerful blow with his giant's sword but with the amount of energy Thanos has charged up in his fist, the sword breaks in two when struck! The sound of shrieking metal seems to hang in the air as all fighting seems to stop around the titan and captain. Thanos pays little attention to this as he smirks before unleashing a potent blast of energy from his eyes straight through the larger soul reaper's right shoulder! The captain roars as he punches the titan hard in the jaw with his free left hand! Thanos staggers but then dissappears, only to reappear above and behind his enemy. With his gloved hands clasped, the titan swings them down hard between the captain's massive shoulder blades! The fox snarls as his body hits the rain-soaked ground, but before he can struggle to his feet, Thanos kicks him hard in the gut and sends him flying into the wooded area beyond!

**Thanos:** 'Is that all? I came here to destroy a **powerful** world, and yet I am met with minimal resistance! Mistress Death will be **displeased **with the lack of strength these souls possess.'

Thor destroys another hollow before turning his attention to his nemesis. Before he can engage the titan, however, a small lithe woman momentarily enters his vision before dissapearing again! Thanos hears her voice before he sees her form;

**Soi Fon:** 'You show no **mercy **to the opponents with whom you fight, so I will show no mercy to **you**!'

He feels her knee smash into his nose and then feels a sting of a needle slip into the back of his neck as his attacker finally appears in front of him. Her twin braids dance in the wind and rain as she takes up a fighting stance in front of the much larger titan. Thanos rubs the back of his neck where the captain of the second squad had punctured him. He brings his gloved hand up to his face and rubs his fingers together as he looks at the woman across from him.

**Thanos:** 'You seem to be **faster **than that lumbering beast. I will **enjoy **ripping your **limbs **from your body, woman.'

Soi Fon sneers before flash stepping out of sight of the titan!

Meanwhile, Rrurikio is doing well holding off both an enraged Hulk and the battle-hungry eleventh squad captain. As Kenpachi takes another swing at the larger arrancar, he smiles wide when his sword clances off of the thick armor of his opponent.

**Zaraki:** 'That's impressive, but I still feel **bad **about hackin' ya ta **pieces **when ya don't have anythin' ta fight **back **with!'

The powerful hollow punches another attack from the captain away from him before speaking.

**Rrurikio:** 'Have you not been paying **attention**? You haven't even scratched me with that **pathetic **sword yet.'

Out of the corner of his eye, Rrurikio sees a giant green fist making its way towards his head. The arrancar barely has time to side-step the blow as it flies by his cheek! He grabs Hulk by his wrist and flips him to the ground and then stomps on his face with his rhino-like foot! The force of the impact makes Hulk's body sink into the muddy ground and nearly buries the now near eight foot monster! A wet gurgle is all the sound that escapes the green goliath's mouth as he tries to roar his protest from under the wet earth. Sparks fly as Kenpachi's zanpakutou connects with the arrancar's large horn that protrudes out near his forehead. This blow staggers the rhino-like creature and the captain nearly steps on Hulk's prone frame as he advances his attack! The arrancar frowns as he continues to block the wild, but strong, attacks of his opponent.

**Rrurikio:** 'The only problem I have when I release is that I **loose **my power to control light. Consider yourself lucky that I can't **burn **the sight from your one good eye and end this battle **now**.'

The eye patch-wearing soul reaper follows up another fierce sword strike with a kick to the giant's stomach as he staggers the arrancar.

**Zaraki:** 'The way **I **see it, only a guy about ta **lose **makes **excuses**. Yer good at blockin', but ya haven't laid a hand on me yet either. I'm gettin' tired o' waitin' ta see ya cut loose.'

A roar from behind Kenpachi signifies Hulk's emergence from the muck he was buried in. The captain turns just in time to duck a massive mud-covered boulder that strikes the arrancar dead in the chest and sends him flying back several yards! The jade giant launches himself from where he stands and follows up his attack with thunderous blows that he rains down upon his opponent! Kenpachi props his sword up on his shoulder and sighs as he watches his ally tee off on their enemy.

**Zaraki: **'How the hell am I gonna have any **fun **if ya keep gettin' in my **way**?'

He wipes a bit of mud off of his face before smiling madly as he runs to rejoin the fray!

As Hulk knocks Rrurikio to the ground, Llibelula re-engages the laid-back captain of the eighth squad. He has yet to take out either one of his swords to fend off her killing strikes, but somehow has managed to stay one step ahead of her regardless. As she walks around Shunsui with her sword drawn, she calls out to the hatted man.

**Llibelula: **'I'll give you **credit**; you're a harder man to read than that short hairy one. Faster **and **calmer too.'

Kyoraku, with his robes dancing in the wind, tilts his hat to the arrancar without taking his eyes of of her.

**Llibelula:** 'If you won't fight me at **full **strength, then I have no choice but to **make **you.'

She squints at the captain.

**Llibelula:** 'Or **kill **you before you have a **chance **to fight using your full potential.'

Dr. Strange, from his concealed position, doesn't see a physical change within the hatted captain, but he does notice that the female's sword strikes are now becoming dangerously close to finding their mark into Kyoraku's body! Llibelula's latest attack catches the free-flowing flowered kimono that hangs off of Shunsui's shoulders and slices it cleanly in half!

**Llibelula:** 'Not even **you **can continue to fight in complete darkness, **captain**. I'll make this **quick **so you can join your **friend**.'

With a practiced calm, the captain of the eighth squad slowly reaches down with both hands and begins to unsheath his twin zanpakutou.

**Shunsui:** 'My my, that was my **favorite **kimono arrancar. I didn't have any **true **intention of fighting a female, but it seems you've given me no other **choice**.'

Upon hearing the soul reaper's words, the powerful hollow sneers before unleashing another flurry of attacks. Each one, however, is blocked by her equaly fast opponant.

**Shunsui:** 'You're spiritual pressure is giving you away everytime. You're so worked up that you seem to be **pouring **all of your power into each swing. I didn't expect it to be so easy to block your attacks; even **without **my sight.'

The female screams out as he narrowly blocks every attack she throws at him!

**Llibelula:** 'Don't **mock **me! When I **kill **you, it'll be me who lectures **you**!'

She sonidos in close and the captain swings quickly as he tries to impale her, but at the last possible second she twists her body away from the blow and slices upwards with her katana! Shunsui's head whips back as he barely dodges her attack. His straw hat gets knocked off; split down the middle by her sword! He steps back a few paces as his opponent pauses her attack to speak.

**Llibelula:** 'You don't have many more pieces of clothing left for me to cut **off**, soul reaper. Soon it'll be your **skin **that is being **cut **from your body.'

**Shunsui:** 'You're **right**. If I want to stay in one **piece**, I'll have to do more than just **look **serious.'

As the female looks on, the captain shrugs off what remains of his patterned kimono and turns his head to look at where he percieves the female arrancar to be.

**Shunsui:** 'I must admit that you're power over darkness is **impressive**. Please forgive me for wanting to **disuade **you from fighting me.'

**Llibelula: **'You're... **strange**. I'm going to **kill **you and you're **apologizing **to me?'

**Shunsui:** 'It can't be helped.'

With that, Kyoraku stands with his feet apart and holds his swords against each other in a cross pattern.

**Shunsui: **'Flower wind rage and flower god **roar**, heavenly wind rage and heavenly demon **sneer**; Katen Kyokotsu.'

After Kyoraku recites his zanpakutou's release command, he pulls the swords across each other and is instantly engulfed in a flash of light! The arrancar takes a step back and shields her eyes from the display. Once the flash clears, the captain still holds two swords but they have changed in size and shape. Katen Kyokotsu has now taken on the shape of two large scimitars with a red tassel at the end of each handle. Still blinded, the captain holds the two swords out in front of him in a defensive stance. Llibelula smirks at the captain's Shikai release before speaking.

**Llibelula:** 'You'll insult me with your **last **breath, won't you **soul reaper**? Larger swords are not going to help you when you can't **see**.'

The tall captain sighs before quickly spinning his blades in front of him!

**Shunsui:** 'Bushogoma.'

He utters the one word lazily and suddenly, out of nowhere, two currents of wind form from his blades and rush towards his opponent! Surprised by this, the arrancar opens her mouth and fires off a medium-sized golden colored cero to try and destroy the wind. The blast of energy explodes upon contact with the wind and consumes the female in smoke and fire! Shunsui blinks a few times as the darkness is finally lifted from his vision.

**Shunsui:** 'That was **bothersome**.'

A stream of smoke soars out of the explosion and lands a few feet away. Llibelula emerges from the cloud with a few scrapes and burns across her body. She sonidos from her position and meets the captain head on in a clash of swords!

Meanwhile, Head Captain Yamamoto has appeared on the scene and stands well above the chaos below him. Walking stick in hand, he nods to his lieutenant and the mustached man flash steps to join his comrades in battle. Dr. Strange banishes his concealment spell and teleports himself over to the older man.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I believe this to be the **end game**, captain.'

The wisened man doesn't open his eyes but does confirm the sorcerer's feelings with a slight nod of his head. The two look down below them and see the many battles raging around them. Many of the captains and lieutenants are fighting valiantly with the multitude of hollow that swarm around them. Strange sees the members of his own team fighting hard as well. Thor continues to call forth the maelstrom that has engulfed them all, destroying creature after creature with the power of the storm. The mystic notices how well he and the tenth captain work together due to the similarities in their abilities. Hulk rages on in his fight with the male arrancar and as Dr. Strange watches his fight, he pulls his cloak around his body.

As the green goliath pummels his advesary, he draws one more monstrous right hook back to level the arrancar, only to have his enemy unleash another powerful cero from his horn directly into his gamma-irradiated chest! The force of the blow knocks Hulk backwards and off of the prone hollow. Out of the corner of his eye, Kenpachi sees his large sparring partner land in a tidal wave of mud and debris thirty yards away! The wild captain smirks as he tries again to cut the armor of his enemy. Bleeding from his nose and mouth, Rrurikio absorbs every attack Kenpachi unleashes on him.

**Zaraki:** 'I know ya can be **cut**, arrancar! That blood flowin' from your face **proves **that you're not **completely **invulnerable.'

**Rrurikio: **'It is **not **a matter of if I can be cut; it is simply that **you **can not cut me.'

The spikey-haired soul reaper lets out a chilling laugh as he slashes once more at the hollow's neck. This time Rrurikio blocks the attack and lunges in with his large horn into the captain's right shoulder, running him through! He brings a large armored fist up and punches Kenpachi hard in the face and the force behind the blow dislodges him from the sword-like horn and sends him flying into a thick tree! Kneeling in the mud, Kenpachi can feel the ground shake under him as the arrancar makes his way over to him.

**Rrurikio:** 'You've been trying all this time to cut **me**, but it only took one attack from me to make **you **bleed. So much for the strength of a **captain**.'

Kenpachi, grinning madly, stabs the ground with his zanpakutou as he gets to his feet. Blood from his wound paints the right side of his face and he takes his tongue and licks a bit of it away.

**Zaraki: **'That's good arrancar, **real **good!'

A wild yellow aura engulfs the captain as he pulls his sword out of the muddy earth. Rrurikio frowns as he prepares for his next assault.

Thanos has encountered numerous speedsters in his long life but as he battles the small female, he notes that she is in a class all by herself. Even with acquiring sonido from the arrancars, her quickness is astonishing! As he staggers around the battlefied, the titan likens her attacks to an angry wasp. In between multiple punches, stabs and kicks from Soi Fon, Thanos begins to lecture her.

**Thanos:** '**Woman**; I have bested Thor and that walking **neanderthal **you know as Hulk. You're **feeble **attempts to inflict injury on me are **laughable **at best.'

The captain of the second squad frowns as she dodges a powerful blast of green plasma from the titan's hand. She flash steps and kicks in the back of his right knee, making the purple-hued alien loose his balance. She follows it up by piecrcing Thanos's large bicep with Suzemebachi! A familiar black "hornet's crest" appears on the spot where she removes her needle-like zanpakutou. She skips back a few feet to look the titan over. Several targets have been created across his costumed body, with the most recent one being on his arm. Thanos, too, looks over his body and sneers at the woman.

**Thanos: **'What are you playing at, soul reaper? You have yet to be anything but an **annoyance**; what do you hope to acomplish with these **things**?

Soi Fon smirks and points her gold and black dagger at the titan.

**Soi Fon: **'Death in two steps is Suzemebachi's special ability. When I hit you again in one of those targets, this fight will be all but a **memory**. You're attempt to **destroy **us was doomed the moment you came up against **me**.'

Thanos's red eyes smolder with power as he listens to the captain.

**Thanos:** 'Your abilities will serve my Mistress **well**, woman.'

The lithe soul reaper scowls before dissappearing. She reapears on the side of the titan and is momentarily shocked when she notices that he anticipated her move! Before she can pierce him again with her weapon, he grabs her arm in his left hand and punches her hard in the face with his cosmically charged right! The blow immediately swells her face as she soars, nearly unconscious, through the air. Reeling from the titan's devistating assault, Soi Fon viciously shakes her head to clear the ringing in her ears. She stops her involuntary flight by harnessing the spirit particles around her into invisible solid footing. She touches her swollen jaw as she stands in mid-air above and away from the titan.

**Thanos:** 'Your mind is protected nicely from my telepathy. However, I can still read your **surface **thoughts quite **easily**. The speed you possess **almost **makes up for this flaw in your armor.'

Without waiting to see if the Eternal is through talking, she opens her left hand as she says;

**Soi Fon:** 'Way of binding, number 62: Hundred steps fence!'

A blue glow engulfs her hand before the energy turns into a tangible rod a few feet in length. In one quick motion, she hurls the object at Thanos who just smiles. Before he moves, his eyes go wide with genuine surprise when the single projectile splits and becomes hundreds of slightly smaller spears! Being overconfident, he doesn't have time to move as many of them slam into his body! The second squad captain grins as she watches her opponent's blood slowly drip from the spears that have impaled him. Thanos grimaces as he takes note that the rods not only serve as sharp weapons, but they somehow have caused him to be unable to move from his position!

**Thanos:** '... Clever **girl**. Making me immobile is an intelligent plan. **However**...'

He looks down at the multitude of glowing rods that are protruding out of his body. With his gauntleted hand he slowly pulls one of the spears from his thigh. A small amount of blood sprays out of the wound before it closes completely. He holds the rod up to where the stealthy captain can see and in once swift show of power, crushes the javelin into powder!

As Shunsui parries another powerful strike by the blonde arrancar, he again makes conversation.

**Kyoraku: **'I dislike waking up my zanpakutou; Katen Kyokotsu can be somewhat... **irratable**.'

**Llibelula:** 'I don't care!'

**Kyoraku: **'I'm only giving you fair **warning**; we both have to play by her rules.'

The arrancar breaks off the attack by getting a kick into the captain's mid-section! As he skids to a hault a few yards away, Llibelula glares at him.

**Llibelula: **'I'm tired of hearing your **voice**. Did you know that when I was alive I was **terrified **of the dark? I'm going to show you what that terror did to me once I became a hollow.'

As Shunsui looks on, the female holds out her sword in front of her parallel to the ground. She lets go of the handle and it floats in the air at chest level as she whispers;

**Llibelula:** 'Choke them... oscuridad.'

Shunsui's eyes go wide as a thick black aura consumes the smaller girl in front of him! The inky pitch is violent and just as it seems as if the darkness will consume him as well, it dissapates; revealing Llibelula in her resurected state! The tiny spines that peppered her face are now gone; replaced by a crown of horns. Her white sleeves are torn up to her shoulders, revealing two sets of spikes that cover each shoulder. Her forearms are now protected by thick jointed armor that stop at her wrists. Her hands have become claws, ending in five razor-sharp points. The captain's eyes move down her body and as he gets to her thighs, he notices her pants are ripped up to her knees and her shins are also covered in thick jointed armor. Her feet have grown in size and now resemble dragon's talons! Each of her four front claws are two inches long and the eighth squad captain can tell they possess great crushing power simply by how she digs them into the mud. Suddenly, out of her back, burst two leathery wings that give her an impressive fifteen foot wing span! Llibelula smirks at her opponent as he looks her over in amazement. His mouth falls open as the last part of her transformation becomes complete. Bony ridges sprout along her spine and they become thicker as they reach her tailbone. Emerging at the small of her back comes a thick armored tail, six feet in length, that ends in a foot long spike! She whips it violently behind her as Shunsui regains his composure.

**Llibelula: **'When I was **young**, my parents would sometimes read me stories filled with mythological creatures. I never believed in dragons before I became one as a hollow. In **this **form, I've never had to evolve; you're going to find out why shortly.'

Right before the captain's eyes, she literally dissappears. It is only when a deep gash opens in his left shoulder does he know where she attacked from! He spins around and instantly flash steps several feet into the air to avoid inky black tendrals of solid shadow that spring from where he was just standing. The released arrancar reappears fifteen yards away from Shunsui.

**Llibelula:** 'Do you see the **difference **in our power now? In this form, I'm thirty times **faster **than I was originally. My power over darkness is **absolute**. I can control and manipulate even the **smallest **shadow.'

Kyoraku looks down at his bleeding wound as he sighs again.

**Kyoraku:** 'Such a strong opponent. I was hoping I could **slowly **work up to fighting you at a high level. You'll make good on your intention to **kill **me if I don't get it together.'

The many battles rage on and due to the swirling dark clouds, the sun can not be seen. Several hours have gone by since Thor discovered the first invading hollow and the overwhelming numbers are slowly taking a toll on the many soul reapers. Thor, Ukitake and Toshiro are still locked in combat with a seemingly endless hord of creatures. As are Byakuya, Ikkaku, Renji, Shuuhei and Yumichika. A few members of the fourth squad have arrived to provide aide to those who have been wounded. The tenth squad lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto and the lieutenant of the seventh squad, Tetsuzaemon Iba provide them with much needed cover. Nanao Ise, the eighth squad lieutenant joins them as well.

While locked in combat with Soi Fon, Thanos has finished removing every last one of the fifty spears that were preventing him from moving. Due to his inability to move, the titan has recieved three more hornet's crests; though the captain has yet to land a second strike to any of her tags. Frustrated, Soi Fon pushes herself even harder. She speeds up so much that she starts to leave after images of herself all around the eternal. Sneering, the titan sonidos around the area, trying futily to match her speed. Suddenly, five Soi Fons rush in to attack Thanos. Right before contact, the titan whips around and catches the real captain by her throat as the four after images dissapate around him! Baring his teeth, the eternal says;

**Thanos:** 'Did you not hear me when I said I can read your **thoughts**? Your **confidence **will be your undoing, **girl**.'

With his massive hand, he reaches down as the soul reaper struggles, and grabs her right leg just above the knee cap. Sensing his intentions, Soi Fon's eyes go wide with terror and this look makes the titan pause. He smirks at her reaction but before he does anything else, she too smirks and plunges Suzemebachi deep into the target that is on his right bicep! Thanos frowns at this and in one quick motion, snaps the captain's leg, shattering her knee cap in the process! The woman lets out a ear-splitting scream as Thanos throws her to the ground. Breathing heavily and clutching at ther broken apendage, the captain still manages to smirk at her enemy.

**Soi Fon:** '... You, ungh, broke **my **leg... but I've killed **you**.'

After throwing the woman to the ground, Thanos looks at the glowing mark on his arm. Through his form-fitting costume, veins start to pop up along his heavily muscled arm. He frowns as he begins to feel a poison course through his body. After a few seconds of this he flexes his muscles and looks back down at the shocked soul reaper!

**Thanos: **'Tell me; what did you **think **was going to happen? I am immune to poison and thanks to my **Queen**, I am immune to **death**. Did the sorcerer not tell you this? A **pity**.'

His smile grows on his face as he towers over the defeated second captain. He draws back the same arm that she had struck just moments before and brings it down hard with the intention to pulverize his advesary! Soi Fon waits for the blow that never takes place. She opens her eyes to see a female with cocoa skin and auburn hair standing over her! Her breath catches in her throat as she looks at her savior holding Thanos's arm at bay.

**Yoruichi:** '**Death** would be the **least **of your concerns if you were to harm this one any further.'

As she holds the towering eternal's hand at bay, her body crackles with the translucent energy of her shunko technique. In the moments that follow, the former captain of squad two looks down at her protoge and smiles.

**Yoruichi:** 'You O.K.?'

Soi Fon swollows and then nods her head; still trying to process what has happened. Suddenly, Yoruichi pushes Thanos's hand back and picks up Soi Fon as she flash steps away just in time to have the titan get smashed and sent flying by an unseen force! When he hits the ground fifty yards away, a giant tree, ripped up by its thick roots, hovers over his prone body. His red eyes go wide as the tree plows into him, causing the ground around him to buck and shudder! A few minutes pass and the huge tree begins to move. Thanos picks himself up and out of the hole; a deep frown etched into his face. Ten feet away stands a silent female with her purple hair braided into a long pony tail that dances in the wind!

**Psylocke:** '**That's** for forcing me to attack my **friends**.'

A twisted smile plays across his purple face as he channels green energy into his fists. Across from him, the mutant telepath manifests two katanas which she grips tightly in each of her hands.

**Editror's notes: I'm back; did you miss me? I don't mean to put a cliff hanger in at the end of every chapter, but I want you to keep coming back for more;) Read and review, and the next chapter will be up soon.**


	32. Return

**Editor's Notes: I'm curious to know something; it has recently been brought to my attention that bolding certain words to add emphasis and feeling to the 'voice' of the character is somewhat of a distraction to some of my readers. I would like to know if this is a major concern of the majority or just the thoughts of a few. Any insight to this would be greatly appreciated! Also, you'll find a certain character makes an appearance in this chapter that has only been hinted at in Bleach. Please forgive me for taking 'creative initiative' with her. I felt it was something that would be cool to work with. Happy Reading!**

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Return**

**Thanos:** 'The mutant **lives**... I must find better help in the future. You have out-lived your usefulness to me woman. **Die**.'

He sonidos from his position and reappears a foot away from the stoic mutant. He fires off a shot of red-hot energy from his eyes only for it to be deflected by a wall of solid telekinetic energy! Frowning, Thanos looses sight of Betsy as she flash steps behind him and slashes his kidney with one of her blades! He grabs at his back only to find a fair amount of blood coating his gloved hand. Tensing, Psylocke begins to speak;

**Psylocke:** 'You'll find that I'm a little different from when you **ambushed **me.

Normally, her level of strength would not have even cut the suit that the titan wears. However, her telekinetic blades combined with a boost from the power of her mind, is more than enough to wound the eternal! The two are set ten feet apart from each other in a tense stand-off. Psylocke is aware of how tactical the titan can be as she focuses on her next move.

**The past; ten minutes after Wolverine and Shuuhei return to soul society.**

Betsy rests her hands upon her stomach as she closes her eyes. As she lays there, alone, she thinks to herself; _I can't become a burden to Logan and the others. He wouldn't say it our right, but I know 'e carries some guilt for what 'appened to me. _Her thoughts are interupeted as Orihime re-enters the room with a smile on her face.

**Orihime: **'Is it alright if I continue your healing, Psylocke-san?'

The mutant looks over to the orange-haired girl and nods.

**Psylocke: **'Please call me Betsy. I **owe **you for saving my **life**.'

The girl once again shakes her head emphatically to deny any sort of credit for her abilities! As she kneels down beside Betsy and calls forth her Shun Shun Rikka, Orihime attempts to transfer the credit to Tessai and the others.

**Orihime:** 'I-I got here after Tessai-san and Urahara-san put you to sleep! Even Hinataro was helping before **I **got here.'

Betsy doesn't try to presuade the girl to accept the praise. Instead, she just smiles and closes her eyes as she feels a warm tingling sensation affect her remaining bruises. After another hour or so, the orange energy dome dissapates and Orihime stands up. Betsy doesn't mean to pry but the girl's surface thoughts are heard regardless. _Finished! I wish I could tell her thanks for the compliments. I'm greatful, but I didn't do much more than anyone else!_ Psylocke sits up and flexes her forerms to test her mobility. She looks up at the smiling girl and asks;

**Psylocke: **'Ori'ime, could you find Kisuke for me?'

**Orihime:** 'Sure!'

She practically bounds out of the room and a few minutes later the hatted man with the cane steps into her room.

**Urahara:** 'You wanted to see me Betsy-san?'

The telepath's blue eyes burn with resolve as she looks at the powerful former captain.

**Psylocke:** 'I want you to make me **stronger**. Logan learned how to move like the other soul reapers and you **personally **trained Stephen. Train **me**.'

The blonde man rubs his scruffy chin before answering.

**Urahara:** 'I don't know; your wounds were **just **healed by Inoue-chan and you must still be **exhausted **from the trauma you've recieved.'

He leans against the wall across from her as he pulls his hat down over his eyes. Betsy readjusts herelf as she sits up on the futon. As she does, she begins to pick up on what the conspiring man is thinking. _I can tell that she already has a great deal of knowledge in martial arts just by the way she carries herself. Still; Yoruichi says that Wolverine-san learned shunpo mostly due to his already impressive reflexes. Stephen-san's magicks allowed him to easily utilize our kido; I didn't have to do much with him. _As he remains silent, Psylocke uses her telekinesis to pick up a framed picture that is hanging on the wall next to Kisuke's head and moves it so that it's in front of his face. This brings him out of his thought process and Betsy says;

**Psylocke:** 'I believe my **telekinesis **will 'elp if you teach me the basics of flash step.'

The man smirks as he nods.

**Urahara:** 'There's still the matter of your **fatigue**. I can't teach you **anything **if you're not at one hundred percent.'

Before Betsy can protest, a slight knock comes from the door frame.

**Hinataro:** 'Um, excuse me Urahara-san, Betsy-san; I might have a way for you to recharge your lost energy.'

Betsy's eyes light up and Kisuke tilts his head, curiousity getting the better of him.

**Hinataro:** 'S-see, I've sort of developed a drink that will revitalize the soul **completely **within seconds of swallowing it.'

The mutant stands up and walks over to the timid soul reaper. Upon her approach, the seventh seat of the fourth squad swallows hard as he looks at her beautiful body.

**Psylocke:** 'Don't play with a woman's **feelings **'Inataro dear, let me **see **it!'

The young man blushes hard as he shakily reaches into the pack that is strapped to his back. Moments later, he pulls out a small vile of blue liquid and holds it up for the purple-haired warrior to see.

**Hinataro: **'I-it's not been tested on anyone else but me. The other squads use me for almost all of their cleaning duties a-and I hardly ever get any sleep. With just **one **of these, I'm good for at least fifteen hours!'

Kisuke takes the bottle into his hands and looks it over.

**Urahara:** 'What are the side effects?'

The black-haired soul reaper looks at the owner of the small candy shop.

**Hinataro:** 'N-none that I can **think **of sir. I've been taking it for **years **and all I get are the ocassional shakes!'

The hatted man looks down at the young man with the deep bags under his eyes before handing Hinataro's formula back to him. He folds his arms into his green gi and swiftly walks out of the room before calling back to the mutant;

**Urahara: **'I won't **stop **you; come see me when you're **ready**.'

With that, Betsy holds out her hand and Hinataro places the bottle into her palm.

**Hinataro:** 'P-please be **careful**; Not even Captain Unohana knows that I have this and I don't know how it will effect an outside soul!'

She smiles at him as she touches his cheek.

**Psylocke:** 'What doesn't **kill **me can only make me **stronger**.'

She holds the vile up to her face and takes a deep breath. She closes her eyes as she downs the shot-sized bottle in one gulp. After a moment, she wets her lips with her tongue and looks at the soul reaper with a look of dissapointment clouding her face. Suddenly her eyes go wide as she feels her entire body become energized! Her senses become alive and it feels as if even her powers have become augmented by the miracle tonic. She bounds out of the room to find Kisuke, patting the young man on the shoulder as she leaves.

With Urahara practically in tow, the mutant telepath makes her way down to the rocky training grounds underneath the shop. Now dressed in a white practice gi and pants, the woman cartwheels into three backflips before coming to a silent stop thirty feet away from the hatted man. He claps his approval of her show of athletic ability.

**Urahara: **'It seems that the drink **works**. You may later **wish **that it hadn't.'

He smiles under his brim as he says the last part and Psylocke easily grins back. Before the two can start the training, Psylocke picks up on the thoughts of someone near by. _Wait till I get outta here! I'm gonna kill somebody! _She tilts her head to the side and then asks;

**Psylocke: **'Who do you 'ave down 'ere with us?'

**Urahara:** 'Hm? Oh, you mean Stephen-san's body? Like **your **body, his has an artificial soul in it to keep up the appearance of a normal person. **However**, the personality of that soul is one of an out of control fighter. Tessai put up a barrier to keep him at bay. All he wants to do is punch the people that he sees and we can't have that can we?'

Her response comes in the form of shrugging her shoulders as she refocuses on her soon to be teacher. The former soul reaper casually spins his cane around in his hand as he paces before Betsy. After a few moments of this, he stops and faces Psylocke.

**Urahara:** 'I know you can **fight**, but I need to see just how good you **are**.'

He slowly unsheathes his long thin sword from its housing and holds it out in front of him. Psylocke holds out her right hand and telekineticaly forms her own sword.

**Urahara:** 'The **rules **of this exercise are **simple**; fight using your entire being and... **don't **die.'

**Psylocke:** 'Fair enough.'

The hatted man rushes towards Betsy with his sword at his side. The mutant grips her weapon tightly as she prepares for his offense. As she parries his first swing, she realizes just how deceptively powerful he is. If she hadn't reinforced her arm with the power of her mind, he would have seperated her shoulder! She gracefully steps back before attempting to take out his legs with a sweep. He deftly avoids the move by stabbing his sword into the ground and flipping over her. Now weaponless, Urahara takes up a fighting stance before re-engaging the purple-haired female. She tries to press her armed advantage by slashing at him with controled precision, but only manages to rip his black coat slightly. As she swings at him again, he moves in close and quickly flips her over his shoulder before rolling to retrieve his sword. Upon hitting the ground, Psylocke fluidly rolls as well to get to her feet. Urahara doesn't wait for her to recover as he rushes her again with another attack. Betsy's years of training allows her to avoid his first swing and as she moves to the side, she throws dirt from her left hand into the face of the former captain! He closes his eyes as he flips away from the deceptive woman. When he comes to a stop, Kisuke takes off his hat and dusts it off.

**Urahara: **'That was pretty **tricky**, Psylocke-san.'

**Psylocke: **'I was trained as a ninja; **deception **is part of my make-up. Your fighting style is a controlled **frenzy**. You're as good with your hands as you are with a sword.'

**Urahara:** 'Thank you. Before I was **exiled **to the world of the living, I was the twelfth squad captain. Before **that**, I was the third seat of the second squad and was in charge of the detention unit. No weapons are allowed in that area, so one would have to know how to **defend **themselves.'

Psylocke, still on gaurd, smiles at her sparring partner.

**Psylocke:** 'It seems that you've got quite the **past**, Mr. Ura'ara.'

**Urahara: **'When you've lived as long as **I **have, things are **bound **to happen to you.'

Betsy chuckles at his statement.

**Urahara:** 'What's so funny?'

**Psylocke: **'I'm sorry, but I thought you and every other soul reaper were, well, **dead**. When you said 'ow long you've **lived**, I 'ad to laugh!'

The former captain rubs the back of his head and smiles sheepishly as he realizes what he's said to her. Suddenly he stops laughing and resumes his lesson with the beautiful mutant by flash stepping beside her as he aims to take off her head! Betsy reads his thoughts just in time to block his intentions with a telekinetic shield as she counters with a strike of her own. Kisuke never takes his eyes off of her as they parry each other's attacks. His swift, precise strikes are almost too much for the mutant, even with her telepathic advantage! After about a half hour more of intense fighting, the hatted man begins to speak.

**Urahara: **'You're doing quite **well **Betsy-san. I don't know if you've **realized **it, but you're slightly faster than when we first started.'

As if to drive home this point, she narrowly dodges another vicious strike by the blonde man!

**Psylocke: **'I 'ave to tell you that I'm **cheating **just a bit. I'm using both my TK **and **my telepathy to keep up with you!'

**Urahara: **'I **know**. I told you to fight with all that you have. I am a little **dissapointed **though; I think you're still holding back on me just a **little**.'

He swipes his sword into the ground and kicks up dirt and debris to try and blind his opponent! Most of the dirt is blocked by Betsy's shield but a few grains manage to hit her in the face. Blinded, Psylocke amps up her psychic awareness to locate the former soul reaper. There! As he comes down hard with his sword, she forms a telekinetic battering ram and catches him hard in the gut; sending him flying back thirty feet and into the side of a cliff! With her eyes watering, she rubs the rest of the dirt away from her vision and blinks a few times. When she can finally see again, she looks to the point where she sent her teacher flying. A smoking pile of rubble is all that she sees and she becomes slightly panicked. Momentarily, she sees rocks begin to move as Kisuke emerges from the rubble. She breathes a sigh of relief to know that she didn't cause him too much harm. Urahara calls from his position under what remains of the cliff.

**Urahara:** 'That's an impressive power to say the **least**. It's **nearly **undetectable; no odor, no color and practically no sound.'

He takes a few more steps away from the crumbling rock face and readies his sword.

**Urahara:** 'I **should **warn you now that my zanpakutou isn't the most suitable for **training **someone. She can be quite nasty when she wants to be.'

With a calm expression, he looks into the mutant's eyes and calls out;

**Urahara:** '**Awaken**, Benihime!'

He is momentarily bathed in a crimson aura before the energy explodes outward to reveal his transformed sword. The width of the weapon is much broader than it was in its cane state, with the tip of the blade being tapered off into an almost blunt end. The tsuba, or cross gaurd, is non-existant; in its place is a golden "U-shape" that connects the blade to the handle. Tied in a bow with three loops just under this unique holding is a blood-red braided string. Dangling to the side of the thrice wrapped cord is a white paper spirit ward. The handle itself is fairly long with the end curving slightly to resemble its former cane-like appearance. Finally, attached to the end of the curved handle is a flowing red tassle. After looking over the sword's new look, the mutant smirks.

**Psylocke: **'That's quite an impressive weapon you 'ave there, Mr. Ura'ara.'

When the hatted man finishes comically dusting off his clothes, he casually walks within twenty feet of his sparring partner. He smirks at Betsy while saying;

**Urahara:** 'Are you ready for round **two**?'

**Psylocke:** 'I didn't 'ear a bell.'

His answer comes in the form of a flash step and a strong strike aimed for her mid-section! She instantly forms another katana for her left hand and blocks the attack using both of her swords! She uses her telekineses to try and ram the man into the ground, but he blocks her invisible energy with his zanpakutou!

**Psylocke:** ''Ow did you do that?'

**Urahara:** 'I did say that your power was **impressive**; I **also **said that it was **almost **completely undetectable. You furrow your brow **just **enough to give you away when your about to use your gift.'

Shocked, Betsy intentionally deepens the furrow in her brow and brings down a massive block of solid energy onto the former captain's position! A guyser of dirt and dust errupts into the sky as Kisuke is completely engulfed by the force. A minute later when the dust finally clears, Betsy sees the man, down on one knee, protected by a hexagon-shaped crimson shield. In a ten foot radius around Kisuke is a blown-out crater!

**Urahara:** 'Whew! Remind me never to get on your **bad **side, Betsy-san.'

He gingerly stands upright and again brings his sword to bare at the purple-haired beauty. This time it's Betsy's turn to initiate combat as she lunges at the former soul reaper. With both swords at the ready, she swings at her trainer with a merciless fervor! Kisuke has no time to make conversation as she continues to unleash her offense on him. She manages to kick him in the gut with a telekinetically reinforced left foot and as he's doubled over, she swings hard with the sword in her right hand to take off his head! He comes around and easily blocks this attack but realizes too late that it was just a feint. The real attack comes from her left hand in the form of her psychic knife! Kisuke's eyes widen with genuine shock as he's never seen her use this technique. The glow that engulfs her left hand streaks towards his frontal lobe with a practiced precision. At the last possible moment, Urahara brings Benihime up to attempt to block the strange energy and when he does, Psylocke connects with the blade instead of his head.

Betsy blinks as she looks around at her new surroundings. She sees an expanse of green flowing grass that blows in the orange blossom scented wind. Not far off she can hear the sound of a small brook flowing and as she looks down stream, she sees an ornately decorated bridge that connects the gap. On that bridge stands a woman dressed in a beautiful red kimono with green bamboo stalks sewn into the silky material near the bottom. She wears wooden geta similar to Kisuke, although, her sandals only have one lift instead of two like the hatted man's. Instead of simple twine that keeps the foot in place, her geta are tied with red colored silk. As Psylocke's eyes move up the woman's body, she notices that her hands are covered in the long kimono's sleeves and her waist is fitted with a thick black obi that is tied in front like a corsett. The braided rope that holds the piece together is also of a deep red color and is tied in a large bow. Her shoulders and the top of her voluptuous breasts are bare and under the blood-red elegant kimono is a sheer, pink under garment. Just below her perfectly toned bare shoulders, and wrapped around where her biceps would be, are the same blood-red braided cords that are used to fasten her mid-section. Attached to these ropes are white paper spirit wards, similar to the one that is attached to Urahara's zanpakutou! The woman's face, from her nose up, is covered in a pink vail which is attached to a red tiara of sorts. Her raven hair is pulled back tight and on the sides of her head she wears red colored coverings that Betsy can only assume hide more hair. The hair that is tied back is secured by more red braided cord and there are two silver chopsticks stuck into the bow. The rest of her hair, after the cords and chopsticks, is wild and free as it sticks up chaotically around her head. Psylocke stands dumbfounded as one minute she was fighting Urahara and the next she finds herself in this completely different world with this lone woman! The mysterious woman in red slowly turns her head towards Psylocke. In an elegant, yet commanding voice, she speaks;

**?: **'You do not belong here. **Leave**.'

**Psylocke:** 'Wait. I don't 'ave a clue where "**'ere**" is.'

Betsy's eyes go wide with a possible revelation.

**Psylocke: **''Old on a bloody minute! You're not Beni'ime are **you**?'

**Benihime: **'I am the **only **woman allowed within this world. **Leave**.'

The woman doesn't move, but a torrent of crimson energy rushes towards the mutant and the next thing she realizes is that she's back in front of Kisuke in his underground training area! The former captain frowns as he looks at his zanpakutou. After a minute, he looks over to the confused mutant.

**Urahara: **'I see that you've met **Benihime**. You're lucky you only came out with a **scolding**. She must **like **you.'

**Psylocke: **'So that **was **your sword! A might **scary **that one is.'

**Urahara:** 'I warned you.'

He turns his back on the woman and once again seals his zanpakutou back into its cane-like state. He stretches and then sighs as he looks at Betsy.

**Urahara:** 'Well, it looks like we're done here.'

**Psylocke: **'You're pretty calm about what just 'appened. 'Ow did I end up in your mind by 'itting your sword?'

**Urahara:** 'My zanpakutou is an extention of **myself**. I can hear her thoughts as easily as she can hear mine. Whatever you **did**, would've probably did the same thing to my **mind**; am I **correct**?'

**Psylocke: **'My psychic knife is the **totality **of my focused telepathy. I was going for a knock-out punch when I entered your inner world. Anyway, I **thought **you said you'd 'elp me learn flash step.'

**Urahara:** 'I said I'd see how well you could **fight**. Yoruichi will help you learn flash step.'

Just then, strolling up and over a near-by boulder is the former squad two captain in her cat form. Around her neck, tied by a white ribbon, is a medium-sized bell. She leaps down from her perch and skips over to where the two are standing. She looks up and, in her deep voice, addresses Betsy;

**Yoruichi:** 'Kisuke can already sense that you're getting faster subconsciously. You're very **determined**, even in a controlled setting.'

**Psylocke:** 'I don't see 'ow it was **controlled**; Kisuke nearly took my bloody 'ead **off **with that sword of 'is!'

The hatted man takes out his fan and opens it up in front of his face.

**Urahara: **'I had to simulate a **real **battle, otherwise you wouldn't have fought me with everything you **had**!'

She glares at him before the cat clears "his" throat.

**Yoruichi:** 'This excercise will be more straight forward. Catch me **without **using your powers in any way other than to help propel you. I believe with your abilities you'll be able to learn flash step in a way that'll make even Logan jealous.'

The mutant smiles at this and after a few moments of stretching by Yoruichi, Kisuke takes his leave by climbing back up to his shop. Before the two begin their training, Betsy starts a conversation.

**Psylocke:** 'That Kisuke is a scary man; I'm glad 'e's on our side.'

The cat twitches his ears.

**Yoruichi:** 'What do you mean?'

**Psylocke:** ''E knew I could read 'is thoughts to counter 'is attacks, but even in **regular **conversation 'e was thinking in Japanese. Call me **paranoid**, but I think 'e might be **'iding **something.'

The cat half purs, half chuckles his reply.

**Yoruichi:** 'You **are **preceptive; he **is **scary and he **is **hiding something! I'll make a **deal **with you; if you can catch me **before **I get tired, I'll tell you what he's hiding from you.'

The mutant folds her arms across her chest and smirks at the black cat.

**Psylocke:** 'I could just take the thoughts I want from your mind.'

A moment passes and Yoruichi almost smiles at the mutant.

**Psylocke:** 'Not you **too**!'

**Yoruichi: **'Sorry; as much as I **want **to tell you what that man did, I have to train you **first**.'

Without warning, the mutant lunges for the small cat who sits just a foot away. Her hands smack together as she grabs nothing but air! Yoruichi chuckles from the same boulder she first appeared on minutes before..

**Yoruichi: **'I'm not as fast in **this **form as I am in my human body. However, you'll have to try a lot harder than **that **if you expect to **win**.'

Betsy stares at the cat for a moment before focusing her telekinesis to her lower extremities. As she feels the power envelope her legs she begins to run towards her target. In her first few steps she starts to realize something's not right as the ground around each step blows out, leaving craters that are a foot in depth and diameter in her wake! The cat stretches lazily as he waits for his student to re-compose herself.

**Yoruichi:** 'Having problems?'

**Psylocke:** 'I'm fine. I've just never used my abilities like **this **before. Even though I 'ave the precision to take a gun apart piece by **piece**, this requires more control than I'm normally used to.'

**Yoruichi: **'I think my shunko technique is similar in principle to your telekinesis. It takes a great deal of concentration to control it.'

The mutant's brow knits in concentration as she once again brings her powers around her legs. This time, she takes a few cautious steps and smiles as her feet do not upend the very ground she walks on. After giving herself a minute to test her control, Psylocke begins to run at the cat who has decided to lay on his back while the mutant works through her troubles. Seeing the woman approach, Yoruichi's eyes go wide before sprinting away; his bell jingling as he moves.

**Yoruichi: **'Have you figured it out? When Logan learned flash step, he had the added incentive of wanting to catch Soi Fon. I thought the information I possessed was enough to have you **focus**. What if I told you that you could keep up with a certain lieutenant of the **ninth **squad?'

At the mere mention of Shuuhei's squad number, Betsy faulters ever so slightly and smashes out the ground as she tries to turn to match the direction that the cat just switched to.

**Psylocke: **'What're you talking about?'

**Yoruichi:** 'You're **kidding **right? I didn't think you'd be the kind to deny how you **feel**.'

**Psylocke: **'... I'm not **denying **it. I just don't know how you found **out **about it.'

**Yoruichi: **'I happen to be the **great **Yoruichi; **fact **finding missions are my **specialty**. Seriously though, you should have seen the concern he had for you when you were brought back here.'

As the two resume Psylocke's training, the mutant continues their conversation.

**Psylocke:** 'I 'ope my feelings for Shuu'ei don't offend you.'

**Yoruichi:** 'I don't see why they **would**; you only get to live **once **right?'

Betsy chuckles at this and shakes her head.

**Yoruichi:** 'What?'

**Psylocke:** 'You and Kisuke think a lot alike. 'E said something along those lines earlier. But it's funny on a **different **level for me.

**Yoruichi:** 'How so?'

**Psylocke:** 'I've actually died a **couple **of times.'

Yoruichi's golden eyes go wide before she bounds out of the reach of another one Betsy's attempts to catch "him".

**Yoruichi:** 'I see; your universe must operate by different laws than ours.'

**Psylocke:** 'I'd say.'

Another few hours go by and the mutant's control is improving greatly. Betsy has now started to make the cat actually use flash step to escape her grasp. Once Psylocke realizes what it takes to propel herself along, she starts to experiment by using her telekenisis to "walk" on air.

**Yoruichi:** 'That's it! Remember; you're not bound by the **limitations **of your physical body. Your soul can be pushed to much greater lengths than when you're confined to a physical existance.'

Taking the former captain's advice, Betsy attempts to "let go" of how she usually approaches training. Even though it's been several intense hours of training with both Kisuke and Yoruichi, Betsy doesn't feel the least bit tired! She wonders if it's due to Hinataro's formula or just her soul form. She keeps that in the back of her mind as she pushes herself even harder for the next few hours. After several tries at trying to "grab" her surroundings, she manages to propel herself even quicker and over a further distance. In this instance, she actually manages to brush her teacher's tail! Yoruichi lets out a surprised yelp as she flash steps to higher ground.

**Yoruichi: **'Excellent! Though you're not **quite **there yet.'

He sits down and playfully scratches at his ear with his back paw.

**Psylocke: **'Do you get fleas in that form?'

Before answering, the cat rolls around in the dirt giving himself a dustbath! The mutant smirks as she witnesses the woman mimick what any normal cat would do. When Yoruichi finshes, "he" shakes the excess dust off and yawns.

**Yoruichi: **'Surprisingly, I seem to be **immune **to fleas and ticks and I absolutely **love **the water.'

The mutant doesn't give the former second sqaud captain warning as she once again resumes her lessons. Psylocke's hand reaches through a cloud of dust where her target had just been!

**Psylocke:** 'Bloody 'ell!'

She smashes the ground in frustration before regaining her control. She once again "grabs" her surroundings and dissappears for the first time! Surprisingly, she doesn't actually loose sight of where she's at or where Yoruichi is. In fact, she can actually see the cat more clearly now as they dance around each other in a duel of speed. She focuses on the bell that tinkles as the cat flits around the baren expanse of Kisuke's underground training facility. Another two hours go by and she's able to now pet the cat's black fur if she wishes. Still not able to fully grab Yoruichi with both hands, she bites her lower lip as she pushes herself even further. Her body begins to glisten with a layer of sweat that has been worked up due to her efforts. Due to the constant blue "sky" of the place, Betsy has no realistic idea how long she's been down here. All she knows is that she must push herself to her breaking point so that she can help her friends and teammates defeat Thanos from realizing his plans of destruction. She notices that the last few times that she's tried to grab Yoruichi, the cat has been genuinely concerned at possibly loosing this test. The mutant smiles at the thought and flash steps to several points around the area to try and catch the feline off gaurd. Even though Betsy is highly skilled in many forms of combat and her experience in battle well out-weighs her age, the female in the cat's body has been fighting for well over a century. As many times as Psylocke reaches out for any part of Yoruichi's body that she can grab onto, the cat makes her miss that many times as well. After nearly eleven hours of blurred movement by the two, Psylocke finally begins to become aware of her fatigue.

**Psylocke:** 'Are you **sure **that Logan was able to catch you?'

The cat, flash stepping out of the way of yet another missed attempt, laughs.

**Yoruichi: **'He didn't catch **me**; he was able to get under Soi Fon's skin and she ended up trying to attack him. He **technically **isn't as fast as her, but because of the man's experience, he was able to catch her off gaurd.'

The two flit around a few more times as the mutant tries to think of a way to fool the highly aware Yoruichi. _Let's see; I can't use my telekenisis for anything but movement. What about my telepathy? She didn't say anything about that. From what I can tell, a soul reaper's surface thoughts aren't as well protected by their zanpakutou. _While continuing to dance with the fleat of foot feline, Betsy tests her theory by sending out a small psionic probe towards the cat. Yoruichi doesn't seem to react to the telepathic intrusion and the mutant sighs in relief to herself. She thinks; _Logan 'as 'is talents and I 'ave mine. _She speeds up her flash step movements to try and distract her teacher from what she truly intends to do. Yoruichi continues to avoid capture but it is clear that Psylocke is getting much better. The mutant sends out a slightly stonger psionic illusion that creates several more of her to the feline's perception.

**Yoruichi:** 'What? You're **this **fast?'

Psylocke smirks as the cat avoids the illusion's outstretched hands. She then flash steps to where the cat leaps to and, with a lightning fast move, grabs the cat by the scruff of the neck! In an instant, Betsy's expression goes from exuberant to one of defeat as she realizes that she only holds the bell with the white ribbon attached to it. Yoruichi had flash stepped in such a way that, at the last possible second, she was able to escape the mutant's grasp almost completely. The cat sits down and begins to lick "his" fur. In between tongue strokes, the former captain speaks;

**Yoruichi:** 'You've completed your training.'

She pauses her licks to lock her golden eyes on the mutant, and Betsy easily picks up on the cat's intentional thoughts. _It was my mistake to not clarify how you could use your telepathy. You improvised; for that, I can accept "losing" to you. You're a strong ally to your friends and I'm glad to have met you. _The cat closes "his" eyes and resumes "his" bath. Psylocke, with bell in hand, walks over to where the feline is and lays down on her back with her head next to the cat. Silently, she continues the conversation with Yoruichi; _since I was able to catch you before you got tired, will you tell me what you know about Kisuke?_ The cat yawns before thinking; _I've already yelled at him for it but it's ultimately up to you how you want to handle what he's done. You know how your body has a servant's soul in it at the moment? Well, earlier when you were unconsious, he put your body in a maid's uniform to "help" her complete her tasks. _The mutant's eyes go wide with this revelation as she cuts the mental comunication to scream out loud.

**Psylocke:** 'What?'

The woman jumps to her feet and rolls up her sleeves before flash stepping to the ladder that hangs from above. Upon exiting the underground area, Psylocke moves with a purpose to find the hatted letcher. Knowing her telepathy won't do much good, she just yells out his name until he pops his head out of a room down the hall.

**Psylocke:** '**Kisuke**!'

**Urahara:** 'Yes, Betsy-san? Have you finish your training already?'

**Psylocke:** 'Oh **yeah**.'

The former soul reaper makes his way out of the room only to run face first into a solid wall of invisible energy! The man makes a muffled cry as he holds his nose and begins to step back only to run into another wall of telekenisis! He puts his hands out on either side of his body to find that he is in a rectangular box of energy created by the heated woman in front of him. The mutant folds her arms across her chest and glares at Kisuke.

**Psylocke:** 'I don't know **why **you thought it'd be a good idea to dress my body in a maid's uniform, but I'm 'ere to tell you it **wasn't**.'

She refines her control over the box and brings it as close to her captive's body as she can without crushing him. He begins to sweat as he feels the pressure of her power around him. She spins the telekinetic box around as she walks past him and down the hallway. Before she turns the corner she looks back to the contained ex-captain and smirks.

**Psylocke:** 'I'm not a prude in the **least **bit; but in the **future**, if you decide to do anything with my **body**, at least let me **know **first.'

She dissapears around the corner and then lets Urahara out of his "prison".

She makes her way into the sitting room and sees Ichigo kneeling at the table that's in the center of the room. The orange-haired youth looks up at her and nods his head.

**Ichigo: **'Urahara-san said that you're feeling better; I'm glad.'

**Psylocke:** 'Thanks. If it wasn't for you and the others, I don't know where I'd be.'

**Ichigo:** 'I didn't do much. That Dr. Strange pretty much told me to stay out of the way when we ran into the ones who captured you.'

**Psylocke: **'I wouldn't take it personally; 'e's used to 'aving people listen to 'im. That man 'as more knoweledge and experience than most of the 'eroes on my Earth. Stephen was probably more worried about you than 'e let on.'

The boy looks away trying to put up a tough front but Betsy just tilts her head to the side, letting her purple locks fall freely, and continues their conversation.

**Psylocke: **'When I enetered your inner world after Thanos first attacked you, I got to see a little into your recent life. You're new to this "soul reaper" thing aren't you? Some of your toughest battles came while you were in soul society as an intruder, trying to rescue Rukia right?'

The substitute interrupts her.

**Ichigo: **'I couldn't sit around and watch someone that I care about be sentenced to death! It was all Aizen's doing anyway; I-'

It's the mutant's turn to cut him off this time.

**Psylocke:** 'I know. My point is that you've only been fighting because your friends 'ave been in danger. My friends and I 'ave been fighting for years; Thor, especially, 'as more experience than even the 'ead captain. Wolverine has enough war stories to fill the Queen's library and 'Ulk is in at least a quarter of them. We fight because we 'ave to, not because there's anything noble or just about it.'

**Ichigo:** 'I can fight!'

**Psylocke: **'I can't deny your strength, but Thanos 'asn't threatened this world yet. We believe 'e's only after the souls in soul society so that 'e can win Death's affections.'

**Ichigo:** 'Then that means he plans on taking Rukia's and Renji's soul too.'

The mutant pauses as she sees that there's no persuading the youth to stay at home. She sighs to herself as she realizes that it would be disrespectful to leave him out any further.

**Psylocke:** 'Okay, you win; but why are you 'ere now instead of in soul society 'elping out?'

Ichigo's eyes go wide and he looks away, slightly embarassed.

**Ichigo:** '... I've been in school. P-people would notice if I were gone for too long! It was Urahara's idea! Besides, I've been here everyday after school since we got back. Orihime's been here too.'

**Psylocke: **'She 'as an amazing gift, that one.'

Ichigo nods and after a few moments of silence, Yoruichi saunters into the room; once again in her human form. She sits down next to Ichigo and intentionally brushes his shoulder. He scoffs and moves over as the former soul reaper smirks.

**Yoruichi:** 'After that workout, you have to be starving; I know I am.'

**Psylocke: **'Now that you mention it, I am a might 'ungry.'

Just then, Kisuke walks into the room with Wolverine's and Thor's bodies not far behind. After the three sit down, Psylocke's body pops her head out from the kitchen.

**Psylocke's body:** 'The food will be ready shortly; thank you for your patience!'

She dissapears to continues her work and Betsy eyes Urahara.

**Psylocke:** 'My body isn't doing anything she doesn't want to do is she?'

**Urahara:** 'Not at all! That soul loves to cook and clean.'

The mutant closes her eyes and asks;

**Psylocke: **'Where's 'Ulk's body?'

**Wolverine's body:** 'He refuses to come out of his room. All he talks about is "peace this" and "peace that". When I asked if he wanted to eat, do you know what he said? He said, "hunger is a way to peace."!'

Thor runs his hand through his golden locks.

**Thor's body: **'Dude, it's O.K.; more food for us, right?'

He slaps Logan on the shoulder and the shorter man winces as he rubs the assaulted area. Betsy looks at the exchange before turning away in confusion. As she looks around at everyone gathered, she notices that the shy seventh seat of the fourth squad isn't here.

**Psylocke:** 'Where's 'Inataro?'

Kisuke adjusts his hat before answering.

**Urahara:** 'He said he got a soul page and had to return to soul society while you and Yoruichi were training. He apologized for not being able to see you train.'

**Psylocke:** 'I'll 'ave to thank 'im when I see 'im again.'

Shortly, the servant soul that is housed in Psylocke's body comes out with a large plate of food cradled in each of her arms and one balanced expertly on her head. She lays the food out in front of the gathered people and again dissapears into the kitchen. Just then, Jinta, Ururu and Tessai enter the room and their eyes light up at the spread they see before of them.

**Tessai:** 'I will get another table for us to sit at!'

The large man with the blue apron and sun glasses leaves the room to hunt for an additional table. The red-haired boy scowls at the pig-tailed girl before going to attack her.

**Jinta:** 'It's your fault we got here late! You wanted to stay at the park just a little longer!'

**Ururu: **'Jinta! I'm sorry! Ow!'

Before the boy can inflict anymore damage on the timid youth, Betsy picks him up with a telekinetic hand and sets him down roughly in the corner.

**Psylocke:** 'I might be a stranger to 'ow you do things, but I don't think 'itting on a girl is going to get you food any faster.'

Struggling against his bonds, the boy turns his anger on the mutant.

**Jinta:** 'Hey! Who asked you! Just 'cause you're feelin' better doesn't mean you can pick on me!'

As he struggles, the large Tessai comes back into the room carrying a large round table. He sits it down and goes over to Jinta.

**Tessai:** 'Jinta! Do not be rude to our guests! You've been nothing but dissrespectful since they've got here.'

**Jinta:** 'That's 'cause they're a bunch of mouchers!'

As Psylocke watches, it looks as if Tessai is going to bust a blood vessel in his head! As if on cue, the servant comes out carrying more food to calm the irrate man and unruly child. She places the dishes and then stands back up; clapping her hands together as she does. Before they dig in, Psylocke's body takes a seat between herself and Kisuke. The meal is delicious and after taking her first bite, Betsy realizes just how hungry she is! She shamelessly devours her first helping and goes in for seconds as the conversations are light and jovial. Even the red-headed boy becomes quiet as he stuffs his face with the delicious food. Thor has finished three bowls of ramen and two bowls of rice before picking up a large bowl of miso soup to inhale. Logan on the other hand has barely finished his first dish as he constantly looks down at his waist. Psylocke looks over at Yoruichi and notices that the woman isn't shy about how she eats, as she too, has downed several bowls of food! After everyone has been stuffed to capacity, Jinta, Ururu and Tessai help Psylocke's body clean up. Once everyone has left the table, Kisuke gets up and leaves silently. Betsy looks curiously at Yoruichi who just shrugs as she gets up herself. After a moment, the mutant follows Ichigo and Yoruichi down the hall before she is stopped by the hatted man.

**Urahara:** 'Ah Betsy-san; I'm not one to let gifts go to waste, so I want you to have this.'

From behind his back he pulls out a rectangle-shaped box and holds it out in front of him. As Psylocke takes the package, she asks;

**Psylocke:** 'You're giving me a gift?'

**Urahara:** 'Well, I'm just delivering it; Uryu Ishada is the one you should thank.'

Before the mutant can ask any further questions, the former twelfth squad captain points the way to the bathroom and walks off. Curious, the woman opens the top to see folded fabric. She smiles to herself and walks to the bathroom. The mutant closes the door and removes the garment from its housing. The color of the costume is a deep blue and she notices that if comes with a white obi. She takes off her practice gi and removes her pants as well. After getting the form-fitting jumpsuit on, she takes note that her left leg remaines bare up to her hip. The mutant takes the remaining four pieces out of the box and puts them on as well. Like her previous costume, this one has two arm covers that are three-quarter length and come to a point over the middle finger of each hand. Her left leg is covered by a thigh-high sheath and both of her feet are protected by ninja tabi. The last part of the ensamble is a cape that fastens at the neck and covers her shoulders. Its length covers the middle of her back and she sees a white cross patterned into the deep blue fabric. When she finishes changing, she pulls her long purple locks back and quickly braids her hair into a pony tail. She ties the end with a white band that she finds in the corner of the box. After taking a moment to look herself over in the mirror, the mutant thinks; _I remember Uryu; 'e was the one that thought 'e could redesign our uniforms. Judging by this piece, 'e made good on 'is bold thoughts. _She opens the door and walks down the hall knowing there would only be one place the others would go.

Climbing down the ladder that leads to the training grounds, she finds the substitute and the two ex-captains in a loose semi-circle. Upon her arrival Urahara and Ichigo look up, with the orange-haired substitute blushing and looking away.

**Urahara:** 'So that's what the Quincy made you.'

**Ichigo:** 'Like you didn't already know. You've been practically dyin' to see her wear it!'

**Yoruichi:** 'Boys.'

**Psylocke: **'It fits nicely; I do wonder 'ow 'e got my measurements though.'

Kisuke looks to Yoruichi who shakes her head and as he turns back to the mutant, he opens his fan before answering.

**Urahara:** 'Your soul and your body are the same size, so Uryu used the only thing at his disposal.'

Betsy closes her eyes and rubs the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

**Psylocke:** 'Forget I asked.'

She turns her attention to Ichigo and stares at him for a minute. The orange-haired substitute looks back at her with a frown on his face. Gently probing his mind, the mutant thinks to him; _I want to 'elp you Ichigo. You saved me when I was in your mind and I want to make sure that Thanos can't 'urt you like that again. _The youth thinks back; _I'm fine. Zangetsu wasn't ready for him before; he'll be ready this time. _The mutant continues their telepathic conversation. _Thanos is what nightmares are made of. He 'as hundreds of years of experience and 'e plans 'is schemes five moves a'ead of the best strategists. If 'e found a way to influence your other self that easily before, 'e'll do it again without 'esitation. _Ichigo looks down and away as he thinks; _... fine. Let's just get on with it so I can help finish this! _As she breaks the mental connection, she turns to Kisuke and Yoruichi.

**Psylocke:** 'I'm going to 'elp Ichigo strengthen 'is defenses against Thanos. I don't know how long this'll take so bare with us.'

The mutant and substitute kneel down a few feet apart from each other. The purple-haired woman closes her eyes and places her index and middle fingers of both hands to the sides of her head. When she opens her eyes again, the mutant finds herself in the world of endless blue sky and horizontal skyscrapers. Ichigo is next to her, dressed in his black soul reaper's kimono, with the white-wrapped Zangetsu strapped to his back. The orange-haired teen turns to her and says;

**Ichigo:** 'What now?'

**Psylocke:** 'To be 'onest, I 'ave no idea.'

Her statement is like a slap to Ichigo's face as he stares at her with his mouth agape!

**Ichigo:** 'What do you mean? Weren't you the one who had the idea to help shield me from that purple guy?'

**Psylocke: **'The last time I was 'ere, your other self was already out and about. Can you call 'im so we can get started?'

**Ichigo:** 'Even if I could, I wouldn't do it! He's his own person and when he's out, all he wants to do is prove that he's stronger.'

Before Betsy can say anything to this, a deep and powerful voice echoes through the area.

**?: **'Ichigo! Why have you brought this woman into this world?'

**Ichigo:** 'Old man! She wants to help me get strong enough so that this Thanos guy can't use me.'

Suddenly, a tall man with long wavy brown hair appears before the two. He is dressed in a black flowing coat of sorts with white trimming and covering his eyes is a pair of lightly tinted shades. He wears a stern expression and his face is covered in a five o'clock shadow. Betsy regards him for a moment before asking;

**Psylocke:** 'Are you Zangetsu?'

**Zangetsu:** 'I am.'

**Psylocke:** 'Can you 'elp bring out Ichigo's other self?'

**Zangetsu: **'It's as the boy said; he nor I have control over what that other one does.'

In the background, Ichigo protests to being called a boy by his zanpakutou spirit.

**Ichigo: **'Hey! Don't talk about me as if I'm not even here!'

Before they can acknoweledge the teen, another disembodied voice calls out to the three that are gathered.

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'I hope you're not startin' a party without me!'

Appearing seemingly out of thin air is the third part of Ichigo's powers and psyche. Dressed the same way as Ichigo, but with the colors reversed, the white-haired double licks his lips threateningly as he locks his golden eyes on the purple-haired mutant.

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'You again? Didn't you get enough of me before?'

The mutant faces the dark aspect of Ichigo's soul and forms a psychic knife around each of her hands. As she does this, she also manifests a large pink butterfly that forms in the middle of her forehead and flows outward to encompass her face.

**Psylocke:** 'I didn't know exactly what I was dealing with the last time we clashed. This time, 'owever, is a different story.'

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'Why the sudden show of confidence? Did you forget what I did to you last time?'

**Psylocke: **'I 'aven't forgotten. I've simply learned from that last fight.'

The hollow grins maniacally at the woman as he unravels his white Zangetsu with the black blade and points it at her. Ichigo goes to intervene, drawing his equally imposing black Zangetsu with the white blade, but the spirit of Zangetsu puts a hand on his shoulder.

**Zangetsu:** 'She came here to do a job. Let's see if she's able.'

The mutant probes the hollow's mind.

**Psylocke:** 'I see; you were "born" when Ichigo regained his soul reaper abilities. 'Ow does it feel to be second best?'

The hollow sneers at the woman in front of him.

**Hollow Ichigo: **'"Second best"? You got it wrong lady, I'd be in charge if it wasn't for the "king's" lack of guts! It's time I showed you how powerful I really am!'

The White-faced Ichigo prepares his attack and Psylocke takes up a defensive stance. These "inner worlds" of the soul reapers are quite new to the mutant telepath, but she knows they are just the extention of the death god's minds. She has trained countless hours with Professor Xavier and alone in the danger room. She knows that she's nowhere near as power as Jean was when she was alive, but she also knows that her power and skill should be reckoned with. She doesn't let the hollow even get out of his stance before she begins constructing a pink and purple cage around him. Surprised, the white-haired Ichigo swings his zanpakutou at the energy bars and destroys them!

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'You're gonna have to do a lot better than that if you want ta beat me!'

He takes a step forward and, before he can flash step to close the distance between them, she traps his black-socked foot in a solid block of psychic energy!

**Hollow Ichigo: **'What?'

**Psylocke:** 'You don't control this world; you're but a player in it. I know that if Zangetsu wanted to, he could free you and overpower me, but he knows that all you would do is cause Ichigo harm.'

**Hollow Ichigo:** 'I don't care what you say! This won't hold me for long!'

He raises his sword over his head and attempts to swing it to break the casing around his foot, but as he comes down, the sword has vanished from his hand thanks to Zangetsu himself!

**Psylocke: **'Thank you.'

**Zangetsu:** 'This is only temporary. This... Thanos... is like nothing I've seen before.'

Betsy resumes her caging of the hollow and once again forms an iron "bird cage" like structure around the white-clad hollow. Around that, she constructs a rectangle prison to further protect this aspect of Ichigo from being controlled by Thanos. Lastly, she creates a pyramid of pure psionic energy to seal him in. On the front of the pyramid, a butterfly appears, signaling her craftsmanship on the psychic barrier. When she finishes, she turns to Ichigo and Zangetsu and smiles.

**Psylocke:** 'Thank you for letting me 'elp. I know 'ow much it takes to trust an outsider.'

**Zangetsu:** 'I only help to protect Ichigo. He is strong; trust in him as well for this coming battle.'

She nods as the spirit fades out of sight. She closes her eyes and leaves Ichigo's inner world. In Urahara's training area, the mutant stands up and dusts off her knees. Ichigo stands up as well and looks at the mutant.

**Ichigo:** 'I've never been able to beat him that easily!'

**Psylocke: **'I didn't beat 'im; I simply protected 'im from Thanos's abilities. Your inner world is similar to what I call the psychic plane. What 'appens there looks real, but it's all in the mind.'

The substitute smiles as he slams his right fist into the palm of his left hand.

**Ichigo:** 'I don't get it, but if it helps me beat the crap out of that purple guy, then I don't care!'

**Urahara: **'That's the spirit! Now if you'd be so kind to open a Senkaimon to soul society, we'll be on our way, Ichigo.'

**Ichigo: **'Why do you always make me open the gate? You should help once in awhile too!'

Betsy notices that the two share a comfortable bond as they argue. The teen quickly calms down and stabs Zangetsu into thin air as half the blade dissapears! He turns it while saying;

**Ichigo:** 'Unlock.'

Within seconds, two sets of shoji screens materialize; one set square and one set round open before the four. Four black butterflies float out and hover around Yoruichi, Kisuke, Ichigo and Psylocke. Before anyone walks through the gate, Kisuke looks at the mutant with interest.

**Psylocke:** 'What's the matter?'

**Urahara:** 'I was just wondering if you're going to be up to this trip with the amount of effort you put into training and then with sealing Ichigo's hollow away.'

Betsy takes a breath and reaches up to her forehead where she comes away with a fair amount of sweat!

**Psylocke: **'My teammates are waiting for me. I can't afford to regain my strength by resting. Every minute more spent 'ere, could mean less time that I 'ave to 'elp.'

**Urahara: **'Well it's a good thing that Hinataro gave this to me before he left.'

The former soul reaper reaches into his jacket and pulls out another small vile of blue liquid. Betsy looks over to Yoruichi with a concerned expression.

**Psylocke:** 'Won't you be needing one too?'

**Yoruichi:** 'Not at all; my body's used to extreme workouts. Besides, what we did was nothing compared to my normal routine.'

She winks at the mutant before gesturing for her to take the vile. Betsy does so and once again ingests the strange mixture. Like before, her fatigue is washed away and replaced with a vigor that replenishes her spirit and rejuvinates her strength! After seeing the physical change within the mutant, the former captain of the twelfth squad bows and gestures with his hand towards the glowing gate.

**Urahara: **'Ladies first.'

Ichigo rolls his eyes as he follows Yoruichi and Psylocke throught the portal, with the hatted man picking up the rear.

As Betsy steps through the portal and into soul society, her face is bombarded by heavy sheets of rain as she looks out at chaos around her! She effortlessly erects a thin telekinetic shield to act as an umbrella to ward off most of the wind and rain. She frowns as she realizes that they've just walked into a war that's already started. After mentally locating her teammates, she sets her sights on the being responsible for this battlefield; Thanos. She sees him standing over a prone Soi Fon about to deliver a crushing blow, when suddenly, Yoruichi dissappears from her side and re-appears protectively over her long-time friend. Psylocke decides to reintroduce herself in fashion as she too dissappears to join Yoruichi in battle.

After slashing open the titan's kidney with her telekinetic sword, Betsy watches Ichigo soar over her head to join in on the many battles that are taking place.

**The Present.**

From Dr. Strange's vantage point, he easily spots the space where the Senkaimon opens and he outwardly smiles as it reveals the four new arrivals. He breathes a sigh of relief as he sees Psylocke stand confidently near the other three. His relief turns to surprise as he sees her flash step from the closing portal and then knocks Thanos off of his feet with her unseen power! Confidently, he looks away as he focuses on the other battles. He watches as Ichigo unleashes a powerful Getsuga Tenshou from his Shikai state that obliterates four closely knit modified hollow. A large hollow fires off a cero that the orange-haired substitute blocks with the width of his large blade. The force of the blow, however, drives the youth back down to the rain-soaked earth where his impact causes a large crater! When the steam and debris clear, he shows to have completely blocked the blast and stands upright in the hole. He holds his large sword out in front of him and puts his left hand on his right forearm. Even from where Stephen is standing, he can hear the teen yell out;

**Ichigo: **'Bankai!'

The word rings out around the battlefield as a rush of wind and energy surrounds the substitute. The power swirls around him before sucking inward to reveal a totally transformed Ichigo. Like, in Hueco Mundo, his kimono has slimed down to his form and his sword has elongated, but at the same time, condensed itself into a thin ebony blade! The teen's eyes flash with power and the mystic loses track of him momentarily as he slices through the hollow with his released power.

Thor notices that the embattled soul reapers seem to become re-energized with the appearance of the orange-haired teen. Especially the sixth squad lieutenant, Renji Abarai and the third seat of the eleventh squad, Ikkaku Madarame. As the god of thunder destroys yet another hollow with the force of his hammer, he hears the red-haired soul reaper call out to his bald ally.

**Renji:** 'Looks like Ichigo finally decided to show up!'

The bald fighter uses Hozukimaru to pierce a hollow through its forehead before answering.

**Ikkaku:** 'If he doesn't hurry up, we'll destroy all the hollow before he gets a chance to really cut loose!'

The thunderer smirks at the two friends banter in the midsts of battle. It makes him think of his comrades in Asgard; Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun.

As the rage grows within the green goliath, he too grows to staggering heights and strength. He is now nearly as tall as the 10'5" Rrurikio and has managed to wrap his gigantic arms under the hollow's arms and around the back of his neck in a full nelson. Just before he clasps his finges together, the amped up hollow quickly brings his arms down hard, severing the hold! He follows this up with an elbow to Hulk's muscular mid-section and then turns around to punch the jade giant hard in the face, sending him staggering backwards! Each blow that is delivered by the two heavyweights reverberate around the area and cause concussive fallout in their wake. Seeing an opening, the eleventh squad captain smiles as he rushes towards the back of his powerful enemy. As Kenpachi goes to swing at the hollow's exposed back, Rrurikio quickly turns and lunges in with his horn to the captain's face! Zaraki's eye goes wide as he barely dodges the life-threatening blow. The razor-sharp horn manages to catch the side of his face and rips the soul reaper's eye patch clean off, slicing his cheek in the process!

**Editor's Notes: Ah, just when things were getting good. Don't worry, if we know Kenpachi, he's enjoying every minute of this! As always, I'd like to know how you enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you think of bolding words. My reasoning behind starting to bold, when I didn't do it in previous chapters, is that I wanted a 'comic book feel'. Anyone who has ever even skimmed a comic book knows that the writers tend to emphasize words for feeling. That's my take, but I do try to please my audiance, so please read and review!**


	33. Unexpected Changes

**Editor's Notes: Llibelula and Rrurikio are the only properties that I created. The Bleach Universe and the Marvel characters belong to their respective owners. I write this story with respect to the creators as well as love for the characters. Happy Reading!**

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Unexpected Changes**

Dr. Strange notices the powerful yellow energy that errupts from the eleventh squad captain as Llibelula and Shunsui continue their deadly dance high above the masses below. With the female's control over shadows absolute, Kyoraku knows that it's better to face her where there aren't any. After blocking an attack from her tail with his slightly smaller wakizashi, the eighth squad captain unleashes another wind attack using bushogoma. Instead of trying to destroy the attack using her cero, the arrancar extends her massive wing span and pushes them forward, creating her own gale force wind! The two forces collide and mix before canceling each other out. Shunsui, momentarily surprised by this, regains his composure and flash steps several yards above her head. As Llibelula follows his movements, he calls out one word before brandishing one of his swords at her head.

**Kyoraku**: 'Takaoni.'

The captain rushes the arrancar and his speed stuns her. She knows there's no time to block or dodge, so she once again throws his world into darkness by blinding him! Shunsui lets out a frustrated sigh as his blade slashes her shoulder. Feeling where she's at, he follows the attack up with a kick to her stomach, sending her crashing back down into the mud below! Once distracted, the arrancar once again looses her control over the captain's vision and he looks down to where he sent her.

**Kyoraku:** 'That attack was meant to take you down. You're abilities are **deadly**, arrancar-chan.'

Llibelula's response comes in the form of a large cero that rockets out of the steaming crater that the captain put her in. He easily avoids the energy but stays in the air by condensing the spirit particals around his feet. The hollow soars out of the hole with anger etched onto her otherwise attractive features. As the two look at each other, Shunsui switches his focus to her bleeding left arm.

**Kyoraku:** 'I told you before that you'd have to play by her **rules**.'

**Llibelula:** 'Your zanpakutou can't **control **me.'

The captain of the eighth squad sighs as he shakes his head. When he looks back up to the female across from him, he says;

**Kyoraku: **'Irooni.'

The arrancar sonidos away from him and covers herself defensively with her large, leathery wings. After a moment, she cautiously removes her protection.

**Llibelula: **'... Nothing happened?'

**Kyoraku:** 'My, you react quickly; my zanpakutou makes children's games **real**. You've played a version of spinning tops in the form of Bushogoma. Your wound is the direct result of me winning "Mountain Demon" and now this game is won by hitting a color on your opponent that is called out.'

He moves into an attack position before saying;

**Kyoraku: **'For example; **white**.'

He flash steps and comes in fast for a strike to her head, but again she blinds him before he swings. He still connects with her right wing that she uses as a shield. His attack catches the leathery white colored "skin" just below the thick bone that it's attached to and slices it clean through! The arrancar screams out in pain as her blood sprays from the three foot long wound. Shunsui's vision returns as he see the damage that he's inflicted. She folds her wounded wing in protectively as she sonidos to engage him in close quarters combat. Before she unleashes her offense, she whispers;

**Llibelula:** 'Black!'

He blocks her first strike with his wakizashi and her second attack with his katana, but she uses her tail expertly and stabs him in his side with the foot long spike! Shunsui, holding his profusely bleeding side, skips back several yards as he breathes heavily.

**Kyoraku: **'... That was fast... I only have two swords to defend against your many ways to attack me. This hardly seems **fair**.'

She winces from the pain in her right wing as it continues to bleed.

**Llibelula:** 'You should've thought about that before you decided to fight me.'

He clenches his twin zanpakutou, making the two identical red tassels dance in the wind.

As Shunsui's battle intensifies, the wound Psylocke inflicted on Thanos has healed, leaving just his costume torn and blood soaked. With his fists cosmically charged with green energy, he sonidos to attack the mutant head on. Betsy flash steps behind him and narrowly avoids his first attack. She swings at him with one of her swords and he blocks the blow with his own energy shield! Betsy's eyes go wide as she steps back due to the titan's display of power.

**Thanos: **'Admittedly, I do not possess telekinesis, but I can manipulate my energies in such a way that I can easily defend myself against your level of strength.'

The mutant doesn't say anything; choosing to let her actions speak for her. She telekinetically gathers the earth around the titan and scoops it up around him; encasing her enemy in a block of mud and debris! Momentarily, her prison shatters apart in a light show of green energy as the eternal steps out frowning. His eyes flash with crimson energy as his body radiates an earie green glow. The mud and muck that covers his form begins to burn away as he cleans himself with his own powers.

**Thanos:** 'Your feeble attempts to achieve victory are laughable at best. I am Thanos, bringer of death; you are but a butterfly caught in a huricane.'

The mutant, unintimidated, crouches into a fighting stance.

**Psylocke:** '"**Butterfly**" you say?'

She manifests visable telekinetic armor to cover her body as she prepares for her next attack. The air around her glows pink as her armor shimmers in the rain. Thanos unleashes energy from his eyes as she begins to run at him. She deflects the beams with a shield of her own before flash stepping to him. The mutant slams into him with a block of solid energy and the force of the blow temporarily rocks the much larger alien! She comes around with another shot only to have it deflected by the titan! He counters her with a fighting style she has never seen before and is quickly pushed back by his physically over-powering onslaught! With his energized fists, he continues to pummel her formidable shields, pounding her into an ever-expanding crater! Soon, as he begins to slow his devistating assault on the female, Thanos finds himself chest-deep in the hole he and Psylocke created! Bleeding from her mouth and nose, the mutant gathers her strength and delivers a well-placed telekinetic shot directly to the eternal's chin, snapping his head back! The force of the attack staggers the titan back into the wall of the crater. Slowly, he brings his head back down to look menacingly at the mutant who just assaulted him. She forces herself to stand and meet the titan's glare. He charges his fists once more and then delivers a devestating blow to the last of Psylocke's defenses, shattering them as she falls to the ground! He climbs out of the crater as the rain begins to fill the hole with Betsy still at the bottom. He looks back over his gold-plated shoulder and sneers;

**Thanos: **'Yes, a **butterfly**.'

Before he faces front, he is knocked off his feet and driven through three trees by a flying enchanted hammer! The thunderer walks to the crater that houses his teammate and pauses momentarily to see how much damage has been done to Psylocke. As Mjolnir returns to his awaiting hand, he thanks Odin that she stirs in the water and mud. Returning his attention to the fallen titan in the tree line, the god of thunder holds out his hammer and calls forth a massive lightning bolt to strike the spot where his opponent lies! As he runs to meet the erternal, he hears Shuuhei call out to Betsy as he arrives on the scene.

**Shuuhei: **'Betsy!'

The muddy water begins to seap into Betsy's nose and mouth and she is brought back to consciousness by her coughing and sputtering. Within moments, her shoulders are grasped by strong hands and she can hear the mind that she has grown accustomed to hearing since coming to soul society. _Betsy, can you hear me? I saw everything, but I couldn't get to you in time. _The mutant comes to a sitting position and she moves her rain-soaked hair away from her face. _It's alright... Thanos stopped as 'e destroyed my defenses... 'e must 'ave assumed I'd drown in this 'ole. _The soul reaper supports her weight as he lifts her to her feet.

**Shuuhei:** 'Can you make it if I flash step?'

**Psylocke:** 'I'm bloodied, but I don't think 'e broke anything.'

The lieutenant frowns as he nods and picks up the woman in his arms and dissappears.

The massive rhino-like arrancar shields his eyes from the outburst of power and energy that is emitted from his spikey-haired opponent. Kenpachi stands to his full height and looks up at the huge hollow as he pops his neck by tilting his head from side to side. He touches his fingers to his bloody cheek and grins madly.

**Zaraki:** 'Why'd ya have ta go an' ruin my **fun**? I was just startin' ta get warmed up!'

**Rrurikio: **'I am not **intimidated **by your attempt to increase your spiritual pressure.'

**Zaraki:** 'Heh, I'm not **tryin' **ta do anything.'

The captain brandishes his seemingly worn-down sword and splashes through the mud as he sprints towards the massively built arrancar. Rrurikio fires off a cero but the soul reaper barely feels the sting of the impact and it glances off his shoulder as he swings wide with his zanpakuto. The hollow brings up his right arm to defend against the powerful blow and the impact sounds like thunder as the force of the blow moves Rrurikio four feet to the side! The hollow still holds his arm in a gaurd position as the captain's sword is embedded four inches into his forearm. Kenpachi's smile widens as he sees a trickle of blood flow down his blade from the arrancar's wound.

**Zaraki:** 'So you **can **be cut by me. That's all I needed ta see!'

Kenpachi finishes his swing and further slices the hollow's thick armor. As he prepares to take another swing in close quarters, Rrurikio charges a powerful cero and unleashes it directly into the captain's chest! The energy burns away his ripped captain's haori and sends the soul reaper crashing into the ground! The hollow looks at his bleeding wound and damaged armor before he hears the sound of a stampede running towards him. He turns to see not a herd of elephants, but the lone gamma-irradiated form of the Incredible Hulk! The green goliath clotheslines his enemy with the force of an M-1 Abrams tank! Before Rrurikio can respond, Hulk's massive foot smashes down repeatedly onto his stomach and chest; making the hollow cough up blood. He picks up the arrancar, who was once several feet taller than him and wraps his right hand around his armored throat. The jade giant has nothing but rage in his dialated emerald-hued eyes as he begins to exert force to choke the life out of his opponent. The sound of splintering bone can be heard as his fingers start to find purchase in the hollow's armor! Rrurikio looks down as best as he can and a look of shock comes over his features. Through gritted teeth he says;

**Rrurikio:** 'Your... **strength**... i-impossible!'

Hulk's reply is an ear-splitting roar directly in the face of Rrurikio. The hollow reaches up with his own equally strong hand and mirrors Hulk's offense by grabbing the massive jugular of the green goliath! The arrancar starts to gather energy for a point-blank cero to Hulk's face, when the jade giant applies even more pressure and manages to move the hollow's target to his shoulder instead. The cero blows a thick chunk out of Hulk's massive shoulder but it doesn't affect his grip in the slightest. The gamma-fueled beast lets out another roar and punches Rrurikio in the face! He takes his left hand and reaches up to grasp the long horn that focuses the arrancar's cero and begins to crush it.

**Hulk: **'**No... more... cero!**'

Rrurikio tries to break Hulk's iron grip but fails. He takes his left hand and begins to punch his enemy several times in the stomach and chest, trying to injure the behemoth! In the state that the green goliath is in, nothing short of a nuclear arsenal will even begin to slow him down. As he's about to break the horn in half, Kenpachi appears and swings down hard with his sword, aiming for the arrancar's outstretched right arm! His attack slices right through his opponent's arm but also manages to slice Hulk's arm in the process! The jade giant roars and kicks Rrurikio hard in the chest that sends him tumbling several yards away. The arrancar's right forearm and hand lands in the mud and twitches once before going still. Hulk glances down at his healing wound and turns towards Kenpachi.

**Zaraki: **'I **told **ya not ta get in my way big green!'

A low growl escapes the jade giant's lips as he quickly back hands the captain away from him! A grunt and a maniacal laugh is heard as Kenpachi dissappears into the forest.

As the tide begins to turn in Hulk's and Zaraki's battle, Ichigo joins the sixth squad captain in battle against several strong transformed hollow.

**Byakuya: **'Ichigo Kurosaki.'

**Ichigo:** 'This is crazy! I've **never **seen so many hollow before!'

**Byakuya:** 'No, I imagine you **haven't**.'

Kuchiki quickly destroys one of the hollow with two swings from his katana as the orange-haired teen's mouth falls open.

**Ichigo:** 'Y-you haven't even released your zanpakutou yet?'

**Byakuya:** 'These masses are only overwhelming if you allow them to be. I see no reason to insult Senbonzakura by awakening him to these worthless creatures.'

As if to drive home his point, another hollow begins to charge cero from its palm and the raven-haired captain unleashes a devistating kido from his fingertips.

**Byakuya:** 'Byakurai.'

The lightning bolt that errupts from his outstretched fingers rips into the hollows palm and obliterates its entire arm! The hollow screams out as it staggers while clutching at its bleeding shoulder. The noble closes his eyes and flash steps to the hollow and decapitates it in one swift motion! The substitute smirks and dissapears as he takes out three of his own opponents to remind the captain that he's worthy of his attention.

As the substitute and noble try to out do each other, Llibelula and the eighth squad captain continue to fight a near standstill battle. Both have recieved threatening wounds but continue to fight at a high level. Shunsui now bleeds from a gash on his cheek and the female arrancar has sustained lacerartions to her left side and right thigh. Before the two re-engage each other, Kyoraku looks down to his right sword and smirks. Llibelula notices his distraction and takes advantage of it by rushing in to attack. The captain looks up just in time to side-step her dangerous tail as it nearly takes his head off! Avoiding the tale, the soul reaper doesn't have time to avoid her swift foot with the razor-sharp talons, as they rip his kimono and cut his chest! The force of the blow sends him down to the ground where he lands on his feet. As he takes assesment of his wounds the female's eyes grow wide as she finally sees what she's been waiting for. Due to the dark cloud cover, the shadow that the tall man casts is not very pronounced, but it's enough for her to control. She smiles as she says;

**Llibelula:** 'Your wounds have made you sloppy. I have you now!'

The captain looks up at her before completely merging with his own shadow just as six solid spikes of darkness spring from the pitch! The arrancar's expression is that of disbelief from what she just witnessed. She climbs higher into the air and searches the ground for her enemy only to find no trace of him or his spiritual pressure. Her eyes do find one thing, however; locked in combat with the green monstrosity and another soul reaper is her now one-armed companion. Forgetting all about her dual with the powerful captain of the eighth squad, Llibelula rushes to aid Rrurikio.

As Shunsui dissappears into his own shadow, Hulk has pounced onto the reeling rhino-like arrancar. Through earth-shaking punches, the hollow struggles to find his last few words.

**Rrurikio:** '... I've been around... for hundreds of... years but... I've never fought anything... like you!'

Hulk picks up the hollow and puts him into a headlock as he once again tries to snap the cracked horn he started with. With the arrancar's head secure in his inmeasurably strong left arm, the jade giant wraps his thick right hand around the base of Rrurikio's horn and begins to pull. A wet breaking sound is heard as the sword-like horn is violently ripped from the hollow's armored head! Rrurikio screams out in pain as Hulk holds the horn above his head and roars triumphantly into the heavens. As the gamma-irradiated behemoth grips his trophy, Kenpachi re-enters the fray and runs the arrancar through with his weathered zanpakutou! Blood escapes the hollow's mouth as he struggles to fight off the strong captain. Suddenly a strong force rocks into the green goliath and sends him flying over the forest and into the base of a mountain! Kenpachi looks up just in time to be engulfed by a golden-colored cero that sends him flying away from the gravely injured Rrurikio. Llibelula kneels down into the mud and cradles her partner's large head. His eyes search for hers as he uses his left hand to touch her cheek.

**Rrurikio:** 'Llibelula... my... dragonfly...'

**Llibelula:** 'You're not going to die; not on **this **soil! You were the one who saved me. You taught me what I was; **who **I was.'

**Rrurikio:** '... No... all those years ago, it was you who saved me. I was truly a **monster**... I would devour anything that moved. But when I saw you, I didn't want to be that... monster anymore.'

The female arrancar attempts to wipe the blood that flows freely away from her partner's mouth only for more to take its place.

**Llibelula: **'I-I won't let them win! They failed to take me when I was a soul and now they're taking the only reason I have for happiness.'

Through her tears, Llibelula sees her mate's eyes close for the final time as his hand falls to the ground. The female arrancar's face contorts into something unrecognizable as her anger escalates to a fever pitch. She clenches her fists and flexes her talons in the mud as she goes to stand up. At the exact same moment she senses the eighth squad captain's spiritual pressure, she feels his sword pierce her body! Llibelula looks down at the extremely sharp blade that protrudes out of her abdomen and, with an expression of shock, slowly turns her head to see Shunsui emerge from the very shadow that she casts! Blood begins to trickle out the side of her mouth as she whispers;

**Llibelula: **'H-how?'

**Kyoraku:** 'Kageoni. This technique lets me manipulate shadows almost as well as you, arrancar-chan.'

She coughs and a spray of her own life force paints the ground in front of her as Shunsui removes his zanpakutou from his opponent. She staggers forward and turns to face the captain while holding her bleeding wound. With his swords still at the ready, he looks at the female in front of him.

**Kyoraku:** 'You were too dangerous to continue to face head on. If it wasn't for your loss of concentration I might've lost our battle.'

Still angry, the arrancar lashes out with her good wing only for it to be blocked by the experienced captain. She tries to steady herself on unsure legs but falls to her knees as all of her rage drains from her face. The wing that was blocked by Shunsui begins to deteriorate as well as all of her other dragon-like appearance. The woman in front of the soul reaper is slowly engulfed in a bright, but warm glow and Shunsui shields his eyes from its brilliance. As he watches the display, he hears a surprising voice coming from the thought-to-be-dead Rrurikio!

**Rrurikio: **'Soul reaper... your blade has purified... her soul. She... was the first hollow that I've met... that has never... needed to evolve...'

Shunsui ponders the arrancar's words as the brilliant light emplodes before washing out over the area! The captain's eyes go wide from the display he witnesses as he looks on to see, kneeling in the same position that the arrancar was just in, a beautiful fair-skinned young woman! Her hair is the same blonde color but it falls past her shoulders in beautiful waves. Her eyes are no longer the powerful hate-filled gold, but now a peaceful green! Her body is covered in a light layer of sweat due to the transformation, and her hollow hole that was just below her navel has vanished to reveal perfect skin. The experienced captain blushes ever so slightly as he takes in this woman's appearance. He rubs the back of his head as he cautiously walks over to the silent female. He sighs and takes off his battle-worn captain's haori and covers the soul's naked form.

**Shunsui:** 'Are you still Llibelula?'

The beautiful young woman looks into the captain's grey eyes and blinks before answering. Her voice is like the tinkling of wind chimes; not like the soft whisper the captain is used to hearing!

**?:** 'I don't know who that is... my name is Abigale and the last thing I remember is... I died?'

With his final ounce of strength, the male arrancar smiles as he hears what his fair Llibelula truly sounds like. He lets out a content sigh as he slowly fades to nothing! After watching the male arrancar die, the captain holds his scruffy chin in his hand as he contemplates her words. He begins to piece together what the former hollow was saying earlier and under his breath he says;

**Shunsui:** 'I see; we did fail in our job to bring you home. For all of soul society, I'm sorry, Abi-chan.'

She looks at him with fatigue on her face and he smiles at her.

**Shunsui: **'I'll be gone for just a **minute**; don't go anywhere okay?.'

She pulls his haori around her shoulders and the captain disappears! He quickly fights through ten hollow until he sees the soul reaper he is looking for. Standing with her back turned to the eighth squad captain, overseeing the healing of three lower ranking reapers, is the gentle fourth squad captain.

**Shunsui:** 'Unohana-san; would you be so kind to accompany me?'

The silky, raven-haired captain turns and smiles at the battle-weary Shunsui. She directs three other fourth squad members to take over her watch as she gracefully walks over to her long-time friend.

**Retsu: **'It looks as though you are in need of healing, Shunsui-san.'

He quickly smiles at her before flash stepping away. The fourth squad captain easily keeps up with his speed as she eyes him silently.

**Shunsui:** 'I'll be fine, but I've never seen anything like what I'm about to show you. Please take care of her.'

Unohana doesn't question his behavior, and within seconds, she sees first hand what he means.

**Retsu:** 'This girl; she has lingering traces of the arrancar you were fighting, but she seems to be a newly arrived soul.'

**Shunsui:** 'The other arrancar said she was a **pure **hollow; she's never had to consume other hollow to become stronger. I've only read about cases like this one, but I never thought we'd **see **something like this!'

The long-lived captain of the fourth squad nods her head in agreement as she kneels down to the silent soul in front of her.

**Retsu:** 'My name is Retsu Unohana; I am the captain of the fourth squad. Can you stand?'

Abigale nods and takes the kind woman's hand. Retsu puts a comforting arm around the tired blonde and disappears with the woman. Before flash stepping away to assist in the other battles, Kyoraku takes one last look at the Rrurikio-shaped indentation where the male arrancar laid.

**Editor's Notes: Short chapter, huh? I wanted the ending of this chapter to have a power all its own and I didn't feel that it needed anything else. On the bright side, you didn't have to wait too long for this one right? Happy Reading!**


	34. End Game

**Editor's Notes: Are you ready to rumble? Happy Reading!**

**Marvel/Bleach**

**End Game**

Thor finds the smoking form of Thanos several yards within the forest. The thunderer frowns at the titan as he stops only a few feet away from the alien.

**Thanos:** 'You seem **angry**, Asgardian; what troubles you?'

As the titan mocks the god of thunder, Thor's blue eyes radiate with power.

**Thor:** '**You** doth trouble me, titan. Your disregard fort this world wilt end **now**.'

**Thanos:** 'I have bested two so-called **captains **and the mutant telepath that have made that **same **proclamation. What can you do against my power?'

Thor tightens his grip on Mjolnir and quickly smashes the ground in front of him, causing a great upheaval of earth that rushes towards the eternal! Thanos smirks and easily dodges it by sonidoing behind his attacker. With all of the Asgardian's experience, he anticipates the titan's move but doesn't expect his speed. Thor turns to meet the alien and gets rocked by a cosmically charged right hook delivered by his powerful enemy! The green energy crackles and lingers around the god's jaw as he staggers back two feet. Undaunted, he rushes the titan again and leads with his weapon, aiming for Thanos's face! The eternal dodges again and uppercuts the god in the side, lifting the 640 pound Asgardian off of his feet. With his left hand, he fires off a blast of concussive force that slams into Thor and sends him flying through several trees!

Meanwhile, the great number of hollow that had accompanied the two arrancar and Thanos have finally been reduced to a managable number. Each soul reaper now has only about ten creatures to battle instead of hundreds. As Dr. Strange continues to look down upon the scene that unfolds before him , Kisuke appears next to him. The head captain doesn't acknowledge the exiled former captain as he too continues to watch the chaos below.

**Dr. Strange: **'I see that Betsy has made great strides under your care.'

**Kisuke:** 'She is a strong woman; although, seeing her confront such a powerful enemy and get beaten, was scary.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'That is the kind of villain we face here today.'

The hatted man looks curiously over to the mystic and cracks a smile.

**Kisuke:** 'I have to wonder why you aren't helping right now, Stephen-san.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I will provide assistance when the time is right. I believe Thanos has yet to discover my knowledge of kidou and I want to surprise him with it.'

The blonde man adjusts his hat before returning his attention to the war below them.

**Kisuke:** 'The element of surprise just might be what we need.'

As the two discuss battle strategy in the presence of the eldest captain, Yoruichi has caught up with where Ichigo and Byakuya are and she assists them in making short work of their enemies. She flash steps in front of Kuchiki and takes out his two hollow while smirking at the proud noble. Byakuya closes his eyes in annoyance as he sheaths his sword.

**Kuchiki:** 'I did not **require **your help.'

**Yoruichi:** 'I know. Consider it a favor.'

**Kuchiki:** 'I do not **need **your favor.'

The former captain of squad two flashes him a smile before disappearing to lend Ichigo her aid. The noble glares at her for a moment longer before disappearing as well. The orange-haired teen grins at his teacher as she fights along side him.

**Ichigo:** 'These hollow aren't so tough now. I can't wait 'till I see that Thanos guy!'

He fires off another Getsuga Tenshou and obliterates four advancing hollow with the powerful attack. As Yoruichi takes out another opponent of her own she says;

**Yoruichi: **'Let's take out the rest of these so we can focus on the alien later.'

The substitute nods as he flash steps to help Renji and Ikkaku. Yoruichi watches him before leaving to assist the captain of the thirteenth squad, Jushiro Ukitake.

After sending Thor through the trees, Thanos doesn't wait for the god to return to his feet as he rushes to press his advantage. As the titan approaches his recovering opponent, Thor lets loose another bolt of electricity from the head of his hammer that strikes the eternal in the chest! The power of the attack knocks Thanos from his feet and sends him back out into clearing where he fought Psylocke. The titan skids to a hault and touches his smoldering armor as he gets to his feet. He looks up just in time to see the thunderer swing his left fist at his jaw. Odin's son connects with the attack and it staggers the larger alien. He continues his barrage with numerous punches and strikes that keep the eternal off balance. The assault that Thor brings down upon Thanos would undoubtedly crush lesser beings, however, the titan is far from a lesser being! After a knee to the jaw rocks the eternal, Thor follows it up by hurling his enchanted hammer at his enemy! Thanos recovers just in time to interlock his hands together and bat the projectile away. The hammer becomes embedded into the ground as the purple-hued nihlist wipes blood away from his mouth with the back of his gloved hand.

**Thanos:** 'You are as strong as ever, god of thunder, but I am your better in **every **way.'

Thor recalls his hammer just as Thanos unleashes two beams of plasma from his hands! The thunderer holds his weapon out in front of him and the green energy slams into the head, creating a bevy of sparks! The amount of energy that Thanos pours into his attack is enough for Thor to lose his position by one foot; now two feet. The god goes to one knee as his hammer continues to absorb the cosmically fueled alien's power. Thor grits his teeth and struggles to keep upright as Thanos walks confidently towards him; all the while still bombarding him with plasma.

**Thanos: **'Do you not comprehend the futility of your resistance? I **will **use this world's souls as an offering to my Queen and I will tread over **your **bones as I present them to Her.'

The titan stops the outpouring of energy just before he gets within arms reach of his opponent and sonidos behind the god. Thor tries to recover, but is too late, as he gets hit at the base of his skull by Thanos's interlaced fists! This knocks the silver-winged helmet from Thor's head and spins the thunderer in the air as he lands on the ground in a heap, with his cape strewn about him. The god struggles to his feet as the titan grabs him by his long red cape and, in one swift motion, throws him over his head and back into the trees!

Meanwhile, as Hulk unburies himself from the base of the mountain that he collapsed when the former female arrancar knocked him into it, he begins to slowly calm down enough to think rationally. Still angry nonetheless, he makes short work of the three tons of rock that makes up his temporary resting spot. Emerging from the rubble, the first thing his emerald eyes see is the grinning squad eleven captain, Kenpachi Zaraki! With his spirit-sapping eye patch gone, the soul reaper wipes away some blood that has dried from the broken nose that the jade giant had given him when he struck him a while ago. Hulk stands up to a height of 8' and looks down at the spikey-haired man.

**Hulk:** 'That nose teach you not to get in my way?'

**Kenpachi: **'Heh, I can't hold back when I cut loose. Don't expect an apology from me.'

**Hulk:** 'I don't expect anything from you.'

The green goliath walks past the grinning captain when he hears the sound of splintering trees coming from somewhere in front of them. Hulk looks back at Kenpachi as the captain tightens his grip on his zanpakutou.

**Kenpachi: **'First one there gets dibs!'

Hulk leaps into the air as Zaraki plows through the trees towards the expectant battle.

As Thanos finishes hurling the god of thunder into the trees, he turns and sets his glowing red eyes on the many different embattled soul reapers around him. After dispatching the Asgardian god of thunder, the titan takes note that the storm that raged moments before has also been quelled died. Suddenly, he hears the pounding of feet and a maniacal chuckle growing louder behind him. He turns just in time to see an aura of yellow energy and a flash of steel rip into his shoulder! The sound of metal on metal is heard, followed by the sound of tearing flesh as Thanos grunts in shock. The titan's eyes flash with surprise as he feels a deep gash in his shoulder under his highly durable armor. He glances over and sees his right shoulder gaurd sliced clean off and his thick shoulder muscle splayed open to the bone! He winces as he slowly turns to the strong spikey-haired captain.

**Thanos: **'It has been a long time since I have been cut so cleanly, soul reaper. Tell me; what is your name?'

Kenpachi looks down at his sword which is painted with the alien's blood and smiles as he slowly looks back up at the titan.

**Kenpachi:** 'I like that you asked my name. You'll die knowin' that my name's Kenpachi Zaraki; squad eleven captain.'

Thanos grins as his wound heals before the soul reaper's eyes.

**Thanos: **'Yet **another **captain. I commend you on wounding me like no other captain before you, I - what is this?'

The eternal tilts his head to the side as he studies the tall man in front of him.

**Kenpachi:** 'What're ya doin'?'

**Thanos: **'You are quite different from most of the other captains, are you not?'

Zaraki, misinterpreting, smirks at his opponent.

**Kenpachi: **'They're a bunch of weaklings who lack the guts ta do what I do.'

**Thanos: **'Infantile creature, you **misunderstand **me. Allow me to show you what it is that I speak of.'

Kenpachi looks dumbfounded as he struggles with Thanos's words. The titan sonidos right in front of the reaper and attacks him with a glowing green fist! The battle hardened soul reaper knocks the alien's fist out of the way, singeing the back of his hand. Zaraki follows his block up with a swing of his sword and Thanos counters this by catching the blade with his energized hand! Thanos grabs Zaraki by the throat and smiles wickedly as his eyes glow with potent energy. Before he can unleash his onslaught, they are both bathed in a large shadow that covers them from overhead. Thanos grimaces and tosses the soul reaper aside as Hulk smashes both gamma-irradiated fists down onto the alien. The resulting upheaval of earth and debris is astounding as the surrounding area is consumed by the concussive fallout of Hulk's attack! It is several minutes before the smoke in the crater begins to settle and through the curtain of dust, the two combatants can be seen dishing out punishment to each other. Each monumental blow echoes throughout the area and the two seem to be dead even. Inside the crater, Thanos gets rocked by an enormous green fist that sends him staggering back into the wall of the hole. After sending the eternal into the wall, Hulk flexes his massive chest before he continues his assault. Thanos quickly lifts himself away from the wall made of dirt and rock as he frowns at his enemy.

**Thanos: **'Again you attempt to face me one on one? I grow tired of this game; this time I will make you **destroy **your allies.'

Thanos squints as he tries to once again invade the green goliath's mind. Hulk smirks confidently;

**Hulk: **'What? Not what you expected to find in there? I've been upgraded since the last time we **tussled**, ugly.'

Hulk leaps and rams his massive shoulder into the titan, driving him further into the bedrock around them! He continues to pummel his advesary with monumental force until Thanos finally blocks his right fist and delivers a shot of concussive force from his eyes which haults the behemoth's offense. With the armor above his eyes cracked and blood trickling down the side of his face, the titan presses his momentary advantage by unleashing a double shot of cosmic energy directly into Hulk's chest! The devestating assualt throws the jade giant against the opposite wall of the crater and Thanos sonidos from his position to uppercut the behemoth. The force of the blow rockets Hulk up and through the earth, making a new hole as he again reaches the surface! With his fist crackling with powerful energy, the titan emerges from the hole he sent his enemy through. Smiling down at his enraged foe, Thanos means to press his attack further, only to be interupted by the eleventh squad captain. The soul reaper comes from behind and slashes the titan across his back, splitting his armor once more and leaving a trail of blood in his wake! The eternal staggers forward as he turns to meet his persistant enemy.

**Kenpachi:** 'I got here **first**; that means big green has ta wait his turn!'

**Thanos: **'The two of you mean to take me on **seperately**? Did the mystic not tell you anything about who you would be **facing**?'

**Kenpachi: **'Ya mean that guy with the funny clothes? Sure he did, but I don't listen all that good.'

The eternal smiles as he takes a step forward.

**Thanos: **'Very well. Allow me to show you what I was refering to before that neanderthal interrupted.'

He sonidos just as Kenpachi swings his sword in a downward motion, carving out the ground with just the wind from his attack! Thanos grabs the captain's right hand to prevent him from using his weapon and once again latches on to his throat with his right hand. As Zaraki grimaces from the amount of force the alien exerts, Thanos blasts the captain with all of his telepathic might! As the surprised soul reaper screams out in pain, the titan calmly explains how he was able to assault him.

**Thanos:** 'Unlike the other two captains I have faced, your mind does not seem to be protected by an "inner spirit". Or rather, more precisely, your inner spirit resembles a soul reaper's who has yet to learn its name.'

Kenpachi's eyes twitch violently in their sockets as the alien speaks. Blood flows freely from his ears, eyes, nose and mouth as he continues to struggle futily.

**Thanos: **'You are quite **strong**; there is no doubt to this fact, but what you lack in mental defenses will be your undoing. I toured minds like yours while I was preparing for my invasion; that is how I know of your **weakness**.'

Before letting the captain go, he punches him hard in the face and then throws him to where the other soul reapers can see.

While fighting the last of their hollow, Ikkaku, Renji, and the other lieutenants and seated officers hear the pained roar that comes from their comrade. They look on in shock to see their enemy somehow debilitate the captain and throw his nearly lifeless body tauntingly at their feet. The bald third seat of the eleventh squad's disbelief quickly turns to rage as he points his spear at the grinning alien.

**Madarame: **'I don't know what the **hell **ya did to Captain Zaraki, but you're gonna pay!'

The third seat rushes in blindly and his long-time friend, Yumichika follows closely behind. Thanos prepares for the two by once again powering up his fists. The alien fluidly moves to the side and avoids the thrusted spear of Ikkaku. The soul reaper grins as he says;

**Madarame:** 'Split, Houzukimaru!'

At once, the weapon separeates into three sections and the sharp blade at the end comes around and slashes the same shoulder that Kenpachi had cut into earlier! Thanos frowns and quickly grabs the base of the tri-sectioned spear and with a charged fist, back hands the soul reaper away from him! The fifth seat with the feathers adorning his features slashes at the eternal's chest with his multi-bladed weapon, only for Fuji Kujaku to glance off of his armor in a bevy of sparks! The soul reaper recieves a blast of red-hot energy, from the titan's eyes, to the chest for his efforts. In a matter of minutes, because of their blind rage, two more soul reapers fall before the powerful eternal.

The Lieutenants of the various squads begin to rush the titan before he can savor his victory. A mass of black-clad figures descend upon the titan with anger and vengeance etched onto their faces. The first to reach him are the first squad's Choujiro Sasakibe, with his rapier at the ready, and Tetsuzaimon Iba of the seventh squad; his zanpakutou also released. The white-haired first squad lieutenant attacks first by swinging his razor-sharp rapier in quick movents to the titan's face! Thanos avoids the majority of his offense, and only comes away with a sliced cheek which quickly heals. The eternal sonidos behind the soul reaper and delivers a chop to the back of his neck that instantly collapses the reaper! Thanos condenses the energy that radiates off of him to form a shield to block the seventh squad lieutenant's attack. He then punches the man in the face, breaking his black sunglasses! After defeating the two men, the alien turns around in time to see a large black flail heading towards him. He charges his right fist with energy and punches the weapon, causing it to shatter harmlessly around him! He grabs the thick chain the ball was attached to and pulls the large second squad lieutenant, Marechiyo Omaeda, to him with tremendous force. He knees the man in the gut and then throws him into the ground forcefully! Stepping over the three prone figures, he hears a woman's voice cry out;

**Matsumoto: **'Growl, Haineko!'

Almost instantly, the titan is engulfed by a silver dust! He swats at the annoying substance and as he looks harder, he smiles in amusement. He realizes that the "dust" he is surrounded by is actually microscopic blades! He calls out from inside the substance;

**Thanos:** 'I see; each of your swords possess a different form, which include unique abilities.'

He pauses for answers, but the only answer that is given is in the form of a man's voice as he says;

**Renji:** 'Roar, Zabimaru!'

Within moments, the armor above the titan's left shoulder explodes in a lightshow of sparks as a large, segmented blade deflects off of it! As Thanos tries to tell where the snake-like blade comes from, he hears yet another man's voice call out through the thick silver curtain.

**Shuuhei: **'Reap, Kazeshini.'

This time, a spinning blade rips into his thick thigh! As his wounded thigh begins to knit itself back together, he feels an annoying pain as the miniscule blades that surround him begin to seep into his wound! Grimmacing, Thanos finally begins to understand the three soul reaper's offense.

**Thanos:** 'The three of you work well together I see. I wonder; would any of you fair so well if I could see you?'

Through the silver mist that surrounds their enemy, Renji, Shuuhei and Rangiku notice Thanos beginning to build up intense energy around his body. Inside Haineko's veil, Thanos smiles as he releases the stored up cosmic energy out and away from him, dispersing the tiny blades as well. Without a word, he sondios to punch the voluptuous blonde in the stomach and as she falls to the ground, he strikes Renji in the chest with a blast of plasma! He turns to face Hisagi and sneers;

**Thanos:** 'Ah, the telepath's boyfriend; I had hoped I could let her watch as you met your end.'

He vanishes and reappears behind the surprised ninth squad lieutenant. As the tattooed soul reaper turns, he is struck hard in the chest by Thanos's large foot! The force of the blow knocks him to the ground and the titan follows his kick up with a double blast of potent cosmic energy from his fists that engulfs the soul reaper in a geyser of dirt and debris! Thanos powers down; confident in the fact, that within minutes, he has unknowingly bested six lieutenants. Suddenly, coming from where he had sent the red-haired soul reaper, he hears;

**Renji:** 'Bankai!'

The titan's eyes widen as the lieutenant of the six squad becomes engulfed by swirling energies! Within moments, a giant snake's head skull emerges from the slowly dissapating smoke that conceals the soul reaper. The white bone is surrounded by a thick mane of red fur that dances wildly in the wind. The vanishing smoke reveals an enormous skeleton of a snake-like creature that intertwines itself around Renji's position. It roars menacingly at the alien as its eyes glow a bright yellow. A change happens with the soul reaper as well. Around the shoulders of his kimono is now a cowl of fur that has a baboon's skull positioned over his left shoulder. Covering his right arm is also a layer of baboon fur that extends down to the wrist. Abarai looks across the way to his advesary and says;

**Renji: **'Hihio Zabimaru.'

Thanos grins madly as he witnesses the power of the soul reaper's Bankai. The sixth squad lieutenant frowns when he sees the alien's reaction and directs the Baboom King to attack his enemy! The multi-segmented creature shoots forward with surprising speed as it obeys its master. Like a snake striking at a mouse, the enormous Bankai lunges at the stationary eternal. Thanos uses sonido and avoids the large fangs of the creature as its head plows into the ground where the titan was! Through the dust, Zabimaru appears again and Thanos avoids its attack in the same manner as before, landing near his previous spot. As Renji readies another attack, Thanos mocks him;

**Thanos:** 'I was nearly impressed by the sheer size of your "Bankai", however, now I see it is not always size that matters.'

Just then, through the still smoking crater behind the titan, lunges a recovered but enraged Hulk! Thanos has no time to turn as his arms are pinned to his sides by the unbreakable strength of the green goliath. Seeing an opening, Renji attack with his Zanpakutou again and as the snake is just about to devour the two impossibly strong beings, Hulk lets go and dives out of the way! The Baboon King picks up Thanos in his jaws as his momentum carries him high into the air. It is all the titan can do to hold the massive fangs at bay as the snake weaves in the air. Abarai commands his weapon to repeatedly smash into the ground and surrounding trees to try and injure the alien. After a moment, Renji changes tactics and commands his zanpakutou to ascend into the air. As the massive weapon nears its length limit, Renji calls out;

**Renji: **'Hikotsu Taiho!'

As Thanos continues to hold the creature's mouth open with his enormous strength, he is bathed in an incredibly bright crimson glow that grows into a giant ball of energy. As the sphere reaches its critical moment before release, the jaws of the snake open wider to allow the ball of energy to pass and Thanos sees his only chance. Gathering large amounts of energy into his fists, he meets the projectile head on. The resulting backlash of the two opposing signatures create a huge explosion that ruptures the majority of the snake's segments and sends the titan soaring across the sky and into the last remaining hollow that Byakuya Kuchiki is fighting!

The titan falls from the sky and obliterates the two final hollow that remain of his invading army! When he emerges from the smoking crater that his impact created, he stands before a stoic raven-haired soul reaper who is wearing a white sleeveless jacket over his black robes. The noble silently watches the alien emerge from the hole in the ground. His body is still smoking and he has several rips in his uniform. His boots are soiled with mud and his gloves tell the tale of his many battles up to this point as they are stained with blood. Though his armor and costume are heavily damaged, the titan's body hardly shows any sign of injury due to his immense healing abilities. Thanos sneers as he locks his smoldering red eyes onto the noble's calm, slate grey eyes.

**Thanos:** 'Am I to assume you to be another captain?'

Byakuya looks up at the being in front of him before answering.

**Kuchiki:** 'You may assume whatever you like.'

Before the eternal's eyes the captain in question disappears only to reappear two feet behind his opponent. Momentarily, large amounts of blood gush out of Thanos's chest and back simultaneously! The titan staggers forward as he clutches at the wound right below his chest armor.

**Kuchiki:** 'You do not belong here; please die quietly.'

The sound of laughter is heard and this makes the captain turn to look at the eternal's back. Byakuya witnesses the wound he inflicted upon the alien's back close up within seconds! Thanos, still with his large back turned to the captain, pops his neck and then turns slowly to face his attacker. Purple skin is visible where Byakuya had cut him, as his costume is sliced further. The noble's eyes widen slightly before returning to their normal stoic mask.

**Thanos: **'Your blade is sharp, captain. I did not see when you moved, nor did I feel your weapon pierce my body.'

**Kuchiki: **'You find my attack **amusing**? Allow me to humor you with **another**.'

The captain disappears again, but this time his blade is blocked by Thanos's strong energy shield!

**Thanos:** 'I would like you to tell me how that attack works.'

**Kuchiki:** 'There is no need; you will meet your end momentarily.'

The titan chuckles menacingly and without warning, he fires off a blast of super-charged energy from his eyes that makes the captain flash step out of the way.

**Thanos: **'I have heard that **empty **threat many times today. I grow tired of long-winded speaches and overconfident beings.'

**Kuchiki:** 'Very well; allow my zanpakutou to speak for me.'

The eternal's features morph into a diabolical smile as he anticipates what he's about to witness. The sixth squad captain unsheaths his blade and holds it in front of his face.

**Kuchiki:** 'Scatter, Zenbonsakura.'

Instantly, the blade glows pink and disperses into the air, as a thousand tiny blades swirl around the two combatants.

**Thanos:** 'Your Bankai seems to possess the same abilites as the blonde female's weapon that I fought earlier.'

The captain frowns.

**Kuchiki: **'You are wrong. This is **not **my Bankai and comparing the tenth squad lieutenant's abilities to my own would be like debating which possesses more power; a breeze or a huricane.'

It is now the eternal's turn to frown upon hearing the captain's answer. As the clouds move overhead, the light from the moon glints off of the many swirling blades that is the sixth squad captain's Shikai.

**Thanos:** 'You are an **arrogant **creature if you believe that anything **less **than your full power will bring me harm.'

**Kuchiki:** 'It is not I who is the arrogant one, alien. You believe that it will take more than my Shikai to defeat one such as yourself. That line of thinking is arrogant.'

The captain's only movement comes from his right hand as he flicks his wrist, moving the bladeless hilt of his zanpakutou. Instantly, the thousand tiny blades move as one as they race towards the titan! Thanos sonidos out of the way as they collide with the spot that he was just standing on. The eternal reappears several feet away and to the side of the raven-haired noble and fires off a blast of cosmic energy at his foe. Byakuya flash steps to avoid the energy as he again directs Zenbonsakura to attack his opponent. The two dance around each other like this for a few more minutes until finally the captain calls his blades behind him as he disappears. Instantly, he reappears a foot in front of his larger advisary and calls out;

**Kuchiki:** 'Bakudo, number 63; Sajo Sabaku.'

As the titan burns through the soul reaper's haori with his eye beams, thick yellow energy chains errupt from byakuya's palm and entangle the nearly seven foot eternal! The noble silently flash steps to Thanos's side as he directs his multitude of blades to smash into the titan, engulfing his form! A powerful yell is heard from within the swirling blades as Thanos is being cut from every possible angle! Seconds later, an explosion of green light blows the shards and the energy chains away from the eternal. His costume is ripped in several more places and his armor is cracked as the multitude of lacerations adorning his body finish healing. Locating the reaper by just his surface thoughts alone, Thanos sonidos and grabs him by the scarf that is wrapped around his neck. Without any words, the titan blows a hole through his enemy's stomach with a blast of concentrated plasma! Kuchiki's eyes go wide as his mouth falls open in silent shock.

**Thanos:** 'I **advised **you to use your Bankai.'

As the titan turns to continue his seemingly unstoppable conquest, he hears a calm voice call out from behind him.

**Kuchiki:** 'I assured you that there was no need to use it.'

The eternal's eyes go wide as he spins on his heel and sees a perfectly healthy captain of the sixth squad staring cooly in his direction! As the shock fades, he notices that his oponent is no longer wearing the scarf that he had grabbed moments before.

**Kuchiki:** 'You have just witnessed a technique I loathe using, but considering your abilities, you left me with few choices. "Molting cicada"; way of Onmitsu, third of the Shiho.'

The eternal's face contorts into a sneer as he squeezes the silky material in his grip. As the captain looks on, hot radiation pours from Thanos's hand and burns the fabric into nothing. Kuchiki frowns at this action as he holds out his sword with the tip pointing towards the ground.

**Kuchiki:** 'Because of that action, you will now see my Bankai.'

Before he lets his zanpakutou go, he hears a rage filled voice coming from above him!

**Hitsugaya:** 'You're the monster who created that... **thing **to infiltrate our ranks! It nearly attacked Momo! I'll kill you where you stand!'

Thanos braces for the next soul reaper to enter the fray and as the boy captain of squad ten leaps over Byakuya, he yells out;

**Hitsugaya:** 'Bankai! Daiguren Hyourinmaru!'

The boy's long zanpakutou, with the crescent shaped blade, becomes engulfed by ice that washes over the white-haired soul reaper! His right arm becomes sheathed in an ice "sleeve" as his right hand is covered in ice resembling a dragon's head. Ice flows off of his shoulders, creating large wings and as the ice continues to flow the length of his spine, it forms a large tail as his feet become encased in talons made of sharp ice! As Thanos witnesses the spectacle, he breathes out and notices that his breath is now visable due to the sudden drop in temperature! Before completely engaging the youth, the titan glances to where his ealier opponent is, but finds him no longer there.

The noble, after being interrupted by the rash-acting tenth squad captain, flash steps to the head captain's side. Silence follows as the group consisting of Head Captain Yamamoto, Kisuke Urahara, Dr. Strange and now Captain Kuchiki watch the ensuing battle. Seconds go by and they are joined by Yoruichi and Ichigo, with Yoruichi looking at the noble.

**Yoruichi:** 'Loosing your touch?'

**Byakuya:** '... It is nothing that concerns you, but if you must know, I allowed his interference because it seems he has a personal debt to settle with Thanos.'

The substitute listens to the two as they exchange banter and then interrupts.

**Ichigo:** 'I can't just sit here as Toshiro fights that guy alone! Why aren't we helping him take on Thanos? He's already beaten some of our best fighters!'

**Byakuya:** 'They are soul society's best fighters.'

The exciled former second squad captain looks over to Kuchiki and rolls her eyes.

**Yoruichi:** 'What he **means **is that if we stepped in to fight with Toshiro, it would hurt his pride. The boy needs to show what he's capable of.'

Ichigo grits his teeth as he powers down and watches anxiously as the battle unfolds below him.

Meanwhile, Toshiro flies towards his opponent and prepares to attack when the titan unleashes a quick burst of energy from his fist. The captain uses his wings of ice as a shield to deflect the blast and counters with a swing of his sword.

**Hitsugaya:** 'Hyoryu Senbi!'

Thanos ducks and sonidos out of the way as the wake of Hitsugaya's attack creates a wave of ice out of nowhere, that was meant to impale the eternal! The tenth squad captain follows the much larger alien's movements and quickly attacks again with a swing of his sword that sends out a blast of frozen spiritual pressure right at Thanos!

**Hitsugaya: **'Zekku!'

The titan doesn't have time to avoid the attack so he lets loose concussive beams from his eyes to destroy the ice. As he does so, the boy flash steps behind his enemy and cuts his left leg with his blade.

**Histsugaya: **'Ryusenka!'

Instantly, an explosion of frozen water errupts from the eternal's left leg as it becomes encased in thick, shimmering ice! Even though the titan is extremely resilient to temperatures, he can feel the cold begin to seep into his leg. He looks down at his immobile limb and frowns as the captain prepares for another attack. Thanos charges his left hand with hot plasma and touches the ice to melt it. Seeing an opening, the white-haired boy takes advantage by screaming;

**Hitsugaya:** 'Guncho Tsurara!'

He again swings his sword at his enemy and a hundred daggers of ice are created from the tip of his blade that speed towards Thanos! The ice imprisoning his leg doesn't melt fast enough as the multitude of spikes pierce his body with staggering force! The titan grunts in pain as he stares, eyes smoldering, up at the small child. Toshiro, breathing heavily from adreniline, touches down several feet away from his wounded advesary.

**Hitsugaya:** 'Why order an attack on a defenseless girl in a healing ward?'

At the boy's words, the titan temporarily halts his struggle for freedom to ponder the question.

**Thanos:** 'Is that what happened? What the duplicates did after they were transported here was of their **own **acord. **I **ordered them to simply watch and learn. You know better than I about hollow make-up; I can only speculate that the longer they maintained their soul reaper appearance, the more **uncontrolled **they became.'

**Hitsugaya:** '**Liar**! Why would a random hollow want to seek out and kill an already wounded soul reaper?'

**Thanos:** 'I do not believe I am on trial here, **boy**. It appears I have greatly **underestimated **your ability to reason. When I scanned the reaper's minds that I had captured, I gleaned that they were new graduates out of your "Shino Academy". They were all from the fifth division; I also detected faint memories of this "Momo" in one of the reaper's minds. Clearly, the hollow fed off of these memories and decided to pay her a visit.'

Behind the captain's teal eyes, a storm rages as he processes what the eternal says. As the soul reaper hesitates to attack, Thanos works on gathering energy to destroy the ice encasing his leg. The boy turns his head to look over his shoulder as he calls out to anyone in ear-shot.

**Hitsugaya:** 'Leave the area if you don't want to be affected by my next attack!'

He re-focuses on his purple-hued enemy as he points his sword to the sky.

**Hitsugaya:** 'Hyoten Hyak - ?'

Before the white-haired captain can finish calling out the name of his attack, Thanos shatteres the ice shackle and releases his own internalized heat to melt the multiple spikes that protrudes out of his body! Momentarily stunned, the boy is caught off gaurd when the eternal sonidos to his position and delivers a devistating cosmically charged punch to his abdomen, lifting the small captain off of his feet. The force behind the blow travels through the youth's body and cracks the large wings that extend off of his back! Blood escapes his mouth as Thanos rocks him with a left hook that sends him twisting through the air as he lands several yards away. The titan's hands glow with killer intentions as he takes a step forward to deliver the death blow. Suddenly, in his shadow, the eighth squad captain's sword appears and impales the large eternal through the chest!

Surprised by the extremely sharp blade that has pierced him, Thanos struggles for words. Within seconds, Shunsui Kyoraku's head emerges from the shadow to frown at his target.

**Kyoraku:** 'That's far enough, Thanos-san; the boy is young and has yet to find the resolve to deliver a proper killing blow. Allow me to take his place in this battle.'

The titan looks down at the blade that is lodged in his left lung and then back to the scruffy captain. Blood trickles out of the side of his mouth as he begins to speak.

**Thanos:** 'The boy... assaulted me without proper **cause**, and you want... to be his replacement for my **wrath**?'

The captain goes to respond, but he stops due to the manaical grin that appears on the impaled alien's face.

**Thanos:** 'This is **absurd**; you were... the one who ended Llebelula were you not? Judging by your face, your conflict was fierce. I will not... **allow **you to take the place of the child. Your fate is nearly sealed as well... captain.'

Shunsui sighs as he shakes his head.

**Kyoraku:** 'It's true that my wounds are pretty bad, but you're not looking too well yourself.'

The eternal reveals blood-stained teeth as he smiles and without warning, he grabs the sword near the gaurd and pulls the sword further into his body! He grunts in pain while still maintaining his smile as his actions have pulled the captain completely out of the shadow! Thanos uppercuts the battle-weary captain off of his feet, making him lose his grip on the zanpakutou that still resides in the alien's body. Shunsui lands near Hitsugaya in a heap as Thanos holds his wounded pectoral. He sucks in a steadying breath as he quickly pulls the large scimitar out of his body! His blood paints the ground around him as he throws the weapon to the side. He charges both of fists as he prepares to take out the older of the prone captains!

Ichigo's eyes go wide from his position as he looks to Yoruichi who puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. The green energy that is being gathered is bright enough that it casts an earie glow on the surrounding area. Thanos's eyes light up in anticipation as he lets loose his devestating energy intended for the eighth squad captain. Just as it's about to hit its mark, Thanos frowns as his energy is shot right back at him with double the intensity! He puts his hands up to help shield himself from his own attack as it slams into him with cataclysmic force! The energy destroys the remainder of his gloves and cowl and obliterates the ground he stands on! The titan falls to one knee as his body begins to recover from his own onslaught.

Standing protectively in front of his long-time friend and fellow captain, is the long white-haired Jushiro Ukitake! As his captain's haori blows in the light breeze, he takes a step towards the recovering alien.

**Ukitake:** 'I will not let you bring harm to my friends, evil creature!'

Thanos coughs as he slowly stands back up to his full height.

**Thanos:** 'Yet **another **captain stands before me. I am impressed with the tenacity that you all possess, however, your continued struggle is futile. I **will **have all of you for my own!'

He fires off a short blast of energy from his eyes and at the moment of impact, the captain of the thirteenth squad fires the same type of energy back at his opponent with enhanced power and speed! This time, the eternal avoids the attack using sonido and when he reappears, he calls out to the powerful soul reaper.

**Thanos:** 'I see. Your zanpakutou's abilities are quite impressive, are they not? You absorb whatever energy is used against you with your left sword and strengthen it with those five talismans that are attached to that red cord. You then use the sword in your right hand to redirect the enhanced energy back at your attacker. My Mistress will enjoy your abilities greatly.'

Jushiro looks at the alien with a stunned expression.

**Ukitake:** 'You discovered Sogyo no Kotowari's abilities with just two attacks?'

**Thanos:** 'No. I deduced your pattern with my **first **attack; the second one was to see what types of energy you could absorb.'

The thirteenth squad captain's expression changes to a smirk.

**Ukitake:** 'I can absorb all types of energy. Test me if you're not certain.'

**Thanos:** 'All in good time, soul reaper.'

He sonidos to try and catch his frail opponent off gaurd with hand to hand combat, but the well trained captain avoids his first attack and slashes him across his back with his right sword! Thanos staggers forward and grabs at his back. Turning, he fires off beams from his eyes and sonidos to try to get in close to the captain. Sogyo no Kotowari easily absorbs the energy and as Jushiro goes to send it back, Thanos reappears to try and punch the captain. Ukitake avoids the jab and brings his right sword down to slash at the eternal. The energy that his right sword unleashes burns a hole through Thanos's shoulder and the titan yells in frustration. Both combatants create distance between themselves and Ukitake brings his swords to bare in a defensive stance. Thanos removes his hand from the nearly healed wound in his shoulder and stares at the white-haired man.

**Thanos:** 'You are quite proficient in the use of your technique.'

**Ukitake:** 'Thank you.'

**Thanos:** 'However, I grow tired of this game. I have taken measure of your abilities and I want to test something.'

Thanos's eyes glow red with energy as green power begins to radiate and crackle around his fists. As the titan continues to build up power, he calls over to his advesary.

**Thanos: **'It is obvious that you absorb and redirect energy very well, but I theorize that you have a limit to how much power you can channel at once.'

The nihlist widens his stance as power radiates off of his entire form. As his energy increases, Thanos sonidos to within a few feet of his enemy and unleashes the entire store of cosmic energy that he has been gathering! The captain's green eyes go wide as he tries to absorb energy that is equivalent to five exploding stars! As Thanos continues to unleash his onslaught, the soul reaper's hands start to bleed and his arms begin to tremble from the force. Ukitake takes several steps back and the ground under his feet begins to break due to the amount of power that is unleashed! Finally, the long-haired captain can't take anymore for fear of being overtaken by the energy. He points his right sword into the air and unleashes the planet-shattering energy into the sky where it evaporates the clouds and disappears! Ukitake staggers as his exhausted body gives out on him from holding on to so much power for so long. With his swords smoking, he collapses silently as Ichigo looks on.

The flash from the brilliant energy is enough to turn the night temporarily into day as the force that Ukitake lets out disperses harmlessly into the sky. Ichigo's face contorts into anger as he cries out;

**Ichigo:** 'Ukitake!'

Before anyone can stop him, the orange-haired teen flash steps from his position to appear several yards away from the titan. The eternal's hands still smoke from the amount of power he unleashed as he slowly looks up at the youth. Breathing heavily, he says;

**Thanos:** 'I remember you; how is your other self? Did he enjoy his time out?'

Ichigo grips Zangetsu tighter.

**Ichigo:** 'Shut up.'

From his constantly released zanpakutou, he begins to gather energy.

**Ichigo:** 'Getsuga Tenshou!'

The youth swings his massive sword in an arc that sends an intense blue energy streaking towards his target. Thanos smirks as he charges his right hand and swats the crescent shaped attack away from him! The force of the attack carves out a considerable chunk of earth as it hits the ground and Ichigo's eyes go wide with surprise.

**Thanos:** 'I believe we have done this before, boy. Let me see your tiny Bankai so the real battle can begin. Or, if you prefer, I could unleash your inner hollow again.'

As he mocks the substitute, he ignores the large, healing wound on his forearm that was created by blocking Ichigo's attack.

**Ichigo: **'I said shut the hell up!'

He brings his large blade in front of him as he points it at the titan.

**Ichigo: **'Bankai!'

As the mass of energy dissapates, the orange-haired teen has transformed once again into the slim-fitting kimono with the long, ripped coat. Thanos sneers as he looks at the substitute.

**Thanos: **'Children are so easily persuaded.'

Thanos sonidos to Ichigo's position and attacks him with a psionic pulse intended to free the hollow that resides in the substitute's mind. Through his mind, Thanos can see that the attack gets haulted by a being that resembles a teenager with long, ragged black hair! He is dressed in a hooded cloak that is torn and ripped at the ends. As he looks back into the titan's mind due to the temporary telepathic link, he says;

**Tensa Zangetsu:** 'Begone.'

Before being forceably removed from the teen's inner world, the eternal gets a glimpse of the ivory-hued Ichigo sitting powerless in a multi-dimensional cage that has a butterfly-shaped lock on the outside. As the titan comes out of Ichigo's mind, he shakes his head while the teen smirks.

**Thanos: **'So, not only did the telepath strengthen Hulk, she also managed to shield you as well. Troublesome mutant.'

**Ichigo:** 'You've hurt so many people since coming here; you make me sick! Getsuga Tenshou!'

He unleashes a black-colored energy crescent at his lost-in-thought enemy and Thanos sonidos just before he is overtaken by the powerful blast. The fallout from the attack knocks Thanos to the side as his body carves out a trench in the ground! Ichigo flash steps to several yards above his recovering enemy as he raises his ebony blade over his head.

**Ichigo: **Getsuga Tenshou!'

Thanos fires off cosmic energy from his hands and the two energies collide, burrying Thanos even deeper in the ground and blowing Ichigo further into the air! The teen, with his body trailing smoke, backflips and lands on the ground while his opponent removes himself from the mass of rubble.

**Ichigo:** 'Your power is incredible!'

**Thanos:** '... I know. The power that you posess is formidable as well... all of you soul reaper's are in possession of extrordinary power.'

Thanos charges his fists once more as he smirks menacingly at Ichigo.

**Thanos:** 'Make no mistake; although I conceide your power, I, in no way will be defeated by you.'

The teen smirks;

**Ichigo:** 'I feel the same way.'

The two charge each other; black energy trails in the wake of the substitute soul reaper as green energy trails the titan. Ichigo swings his zanpakutou and Thanos blocks it with his left fist. The stray energy that is released from the countered weapon smashes into the eternal's side, splitting him open. As his wound begins to heal, Thanos smashes Kurosaki in the jaw with his right fist, knocking the teen to one knee! The powerful alien tries to kick his enemy but his foot is block by the younger fighter. Still, the force of the blow sends Ichigo skidding back several feet. Thanos doesn't wait for the boy to recover as he sonidos to him. As Ichigo swings again with his sword, the eternal condenses his energy around the point of attack to deflect the powerful blade. The nihlist follows this up with his formidable fighting prowess as he overwhelms the youth with several kicks, punches and strikes from fighting styles that Ichigo has never seen before! After several minutes of monumental strikes that would turn a normal being to putty, Thanos charges his right fist with radiation and punches Ichigo and sends him flying! Walking confidently towards the prone boy, the titan speaks;

**Thanos:** 'The power of your zanpakutou is excellent, but you have very little formal training on how to defend yourself.'

The orange-haired teen stabs Tensa Zangetsu into the earth as he gets to his feet. Blood flows freely from a wound above his right eye and his left cheek is swollen to the size of a softball. His bottom lip is cut and he holds his right side as he tries to conceal several broken ribs. He coughs and crimson blood paints the ground before him. The boy, with one eye closed, looks at the confident alien that continues to stalk him.

**Ichigo:** 'Get... suga Tenshou!'

He fires off one more enormous wave of black energy and Thanos's eyes go wide as he's truly surprised by the level of power his opponent still has left. He doesn't have time to sonido as he takes the full force of the attack head on. The area around the titan errupts in a geyser of dust and debris and it is several minutes before Thanos can be seen. After the dust settles, the alien invader is seen on one knee with a huge gash that starts at his stomach and reaches over his right shoulder! His formidable regenerative abilities are hard pressed to effectively close the wound after so many hard battles. After seeing the titan still breathing, Ichigo lets out a surprised gasp as he, himself, tries to stand.

Suddenly, Yoruichi appears beside her student and puts a slender, yet strong arm around his shoulders and disappears! As Thanos looks to see where the two have fled, he hears a voice that is calm, yet powerful, ring down from above.

**Yamamoto: **'Enough. You have had your chance to bring about our **destruction**, now you will be punished for your **insolence**!'

Thanos clutches at his shoulder as it finishes knitting itself back together and his eyes glow with anger.

**Thanos:** 'The boy... is strong... perhaps as strong as I have faced thus far. I have bested **him**; what hope does an old man such as yourself have against me?'

Standing fifty yards above Thanos's head, the eldest captain shrugs off his captain's haori and then lets the top of his kimono fall around his waist, revealing a chiseled upper body which is covered in scars. The powerful elder lets go of his walking stick and the wood desintegrates to reveal his zanpakutou. Genryusai grips the purple-wrapped handle and begins to draw his blade.

**Yamamoto: **'Reduce all creation to ash, Ryujin Jakka!'

As he says his zanpakutou's release command, the blade of the weapon turns to flame and he is engulfed in extremely hot flames of spiritual energy! Watching from a further distance, Dr. Strange puts up a magickal barrier to shield himself from the inferno as Byakuya calmly closes his eyes and Urahara pulls down the brim of his hat. Below, Thanos covers his eyes with the back of his hand as the head captain's power is released. Wanting to test the elder soul reaper, the titan fires off a blast of hot radiation from his left hand at his enemy. The sheer power of the flames that dance around the bearded soul reaper are enough to evaporate the eternal's energy! Thanos grins at the display before he stands up to his full height and begins collecting power. Sensing the alien's intentions, the scarred man opens one eye before raising his blazing sword into the air.

**Yamamoto:** 'I will not give you time to even **think **of assaulting me! Jokaku Enjo!'

He swings his sword down at the titan and flames errupt violently out of the ground, creating a large dome of fire that completely seals Thanos inside! Thanos temporarily powers down as he takes in his flaming prison. From the center, he looks at the ground which is quickly turning to glass due to the extreme temperatures. He out-stretches his hands and attempts to absorb the powerful, white-hot flames. He begins to feel the intensity of the head-captain's power through his palms, and stops his absorption. He brings his purple palms up to his face and notices the slowly healing blistered skin. He frowns at this and clenches his fists as he begins to think of a way out of his cage. Suddenly, through the flames, Thanos hears a voice that he despises at his very core.

**Thor:** 'Evil villain! Didst thou believe you bested Odin's Son in combat? I say **nay**, fort I hath come back to deliver thy final blow!'

High in the air, the thunderer is seen swinging his mighty Mjolnir in great circles over his head. Strong winds come out of nowhere and thick, rolling clouds once again blanket the sky as Thor calls forth gale-force winds the likes of which the soul reapers have yet to see. The clouds above the thunderer's head begin to swirl and collide with each other as they start to take shape in the form of a funnel. Soon, the flames around the titan begin to dance and move in a uniform motion as they are manipulated by Thor's winds. Within minutes, the winds above Thor meet the ascending fiery winds from below, and an unimaginable F-6 tornado is born! Thor's control over the monstrosity is absolute as the five hundred plus mile per hour winds churn the great flames into the sky. Instead of blowing out the flames, the winds act as a catalyst to increase their heat a hundred fold! Inside the roaring beast that is the tornado, Thanos plants his feet firmly into the cracked and molten earth to keep from being ripped from his position and sucked into the vortex. Outside of the tornado, where everyone bares witness to the display, it seems to nearly take on a consciousness of its own. The winds howl and roar as it uproots the trees and carves out the earth around itself as it spins! Though the inhabitants of the Rukon District are several miles away, they too feel the effect of this massive thing as it blows shingles off of roofs. Inside, the titan's body is bombarded by the debris that the entity has ripped up and is constantly blasted by the intense heat of the swirling flames. His body blisters and bakes, heals and then bakes again, as Thor continues to control his beast. Nearly fifteen minutes go by before Thor flies directly over the center of the roaring vortex. Thanos looks up to see the angered god of thunder and fires off a blast of plasma from his eyes. The blast nearly makes it half way up the column of rapidly spinning air and fire before it too is overtaken by the force! The red energy merges with Thor's winds as it harmlessly dissipates.

**Thor: **'Bare witness to what happens to those who hath truly angered me! Titan! I now give back to you thy very power that you didst wield against me earlier!'

Thor's hammer glows bright with green, crackling energy as he commands Mjolnir to unleash every ounce of cosmic power that it had absorbed from the eternal an hour before. The green bolt of energy screams as it makes its way towards the titan! Thanos braces for the impact, due to his inability to escape the blast and just as the attack is about to hit him, Thor calls out again.

**Thor: **'Here be an energy that e'en **your **body twud have trouble dealing with. Mjolnir, bring forth **Raikoho**!'

As the eternal's own energy slams into him, the head of Mjolnir glows insanely bright with the kido that it had absorbed from the sixth squad captain days ago. The yellow energy rockets towards the struggling alien as it combines with the cosmic energy and completely engulfs the titan! Sensing the release of the powerful kido, the soul reapers around the area flash step to avoid the inevitable fallout. Indeed the fallout is grand as the two insanely powerful energies collide with Thanos! Everything around the eternal is blown assunder and the crater that is blasted out is as large as the four thousand foot radius of the tornado! The swirling funnel picks up the newly upended ground and adds it to the flaming monster of wind. Thor, still over the eye, commands the mighty winds to lift into the air and dissperse harmlessly into the heavens. The rock and earth and trees the creature had devoured, rain back down upon the smoking hole that houses the thunderer's enemy, creating even more fallout. Thor calms his hammer and soars over to where the now powered-down head captain stands along with Stephen and Kisuke. Byakuya, who stands a little ways off, opens his eyes to look at the blonde god.

**Byakuya: **'I was not aware that your weapon could store and release energy.'

**Thor:** 'Nonetheless, mine thanks fort lending me yon power.'

Kuchiki doesn't say anything but closes his eyes and smirks.

Several minutes go by and the many soul reapers around the area start to walk wearily around to where Head-Captain Yamamoto and the others are standing. Dr. Strange watches silently as many fourth squad members carry the wounded soul reapes away from the huge battle site. He sees the large fox captain of the seven squad being attended to by four soul reapers, as well as the many lieutenants that had engaged the impossibly strong titan. As he continues to survey the battle field, Hulk lumbers over to the crowd and the mystic takes notice that he has reverted to his normal height and weight. Hulk looks over to the intense god of thunder and scoffs;

**Hulk:** 'I really wanted to be the guy who finished off Thanos.'

As he finishes, a low, hoarse voice chimes in;

**Wolverine: **'Yer not the only one, bub. At least ya got ta **fight **him.'

Logan, still covered in his own dried and caked blood, slowly walks out of the woods. His costume has mended itself but the hairy mutant still looks like he's been to hell and back. He turns his head towards the still billowing crater and sniffs the air. He crinkles his nose and waves his hand in front of his face.

**Wolverine: **'Well, anyone up for blackened alien?'

Not one person in ear-shot of the mutant's remark even grins as they continue to stare at the smoldering hole. Suddenly, heavy breathing is heard coming out of the crater and everyone tenses.

**Thanos:** '... Fools... every last one... of you... **children**... are **FOOLS**!'

He pounds the ground with his fists and the energy that is released disspels the cloud of smoke and dust. Gasps are heard from the soul reapers that witness the seemingly unbeatable titan go from his hands and knees to a kneeling position. Nearly all of his costume has been ripped and burned off, revealing bruised and bloody purple skin. As he gathers his strength to once again engage the gathered stunned masses, Dr. Strange speaks to Kisuke without taking his eyes off of the eternal.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I feel it is now time for me to get involved.'

Urahara nods.

**Kisuke: **'I'll follow your lead.'

With that, the mystic vanishes from his spot and appears in front of the enraged alien. Thanos smiles as he sees Strange before him.

**Thanos:** 'You have finally come out of hiding, sorcerer. Good, now feel my wrath!'

He unleashes a bolt of cosmic energy from his right hand that passes right through his enemy! Dr. Strange is heard behind him saying;

**Dr. Strange:** 'Way of Binding, number nine; Geki.'

Thanos becomes engulfed by crimson energy that paralizes him!

**Thanos:** 'What?'

Inside the energy, the eternal grits his teeth and flexes his impressive muscles as he breaks his bindings! Thanos sonidos to try and put some distance between he and the mystic. When he reappears, the titan hears;

**Dr. Strange: **'Way of Binding, number thirty; Beak-piercing, triple beam.'

Thanos turns around to see the mystic drawing a triangle in mid-air with his finger as three points of light are created. The energy streaks towards their target and upon contact, drive the eternal to the wall of the crater! The force of the confinement cracks the glass-infused earth as Thanos is once again pinned and unable to move!

**Thanos: **'What are you playing at sorcerer? Do you plan to try and capture me? I will not be defeated by you or any other insignificant worm here tonight!'

He fires off a blast of energy from his eyes and Stephen says;

**Dr. Strange:** 'Way of Binding, number eighty-one; Splitting Void.'

A clear rectangular shield errects itself in front of the powerful sorcerer and the hot energy from Thanos's eyes slam into it, creating a large explosion! When the dust clears, Dr. Strange is unharmed and the shield dissapates.

**Thanos: **'These techniques that you use were taught to you by the soul reapers, were they not?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'They were.'

The eternal laughs at this and says;

**Thanos: **'Then it is a shame that even your newfound trickery will be useless against me!'

He again uses his monumental strength and breaks away from the wall as the yellow energy disintegrates around him. Dr. Strange quickly reacts by summoning another Bakudo spell.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Way of Binding, number sixty-one; Six Rods Prison of Light!'

Instantly, six long, thin beams of yellow energy slam into the titan's mid-section, haulting his advancement towards Strange!

**Thanos:** 'Is this what your newly learned magicks have yielded, sorcerer? These... **tricks **will only slow your fate.'

Stephen ignores the boastful alien and follows his potent binding spell up with another.

**Dr. Strange:** 'First song; halting wrap-'

As Thanos is still bound by the six rods of light, thick black fabric appears and begins to wrap the eternal's arms behind his back. The fabric continues to wrap up his entire body as Thanos struggles to be free.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Second song; one hundred joined locks-'

As the fabric finishes entangling the confused alien, a multitude of metal bolts slam into his powerful body, knocking him to the ground in a cloud of dust!

**Dr. Strange:** 'Third song; great seal of ten thousand forbiddings, Way of binding, number ninety-nine. Bankin!'

As the mystic finishes the long incantation, a huge metal cube appears above the shocked titan and descends upon his prone form, creating even more dirt and debris to rise out of the crater! Silence falls upon the area as Dr. Strange wipes his sweating brow. He takes a step towards the sealed alien on unsure legs as he's nearly exhausted from the amount of energy that it took to channel so much kidou. After witnessing the mystic perform so many high level kidou spells without an incantation, even the head captain stands in shocked disbelief. The sixth squad captain flash steps to the side of the man who taught the mystic kidou.

**Kuchiki:** 'This man was able to learn Bankin in just a single **day**?'

**Urahara:** 'Yes. I've never seen **anyone **with Stephen-san's knowledge of magick. His abilities are even beyond soul society's **greatest **kidou users.'

**Kuchiki:** '... I see.'

The mystic falls to one knee as he gets within a few feet of the large metal cube. Two reapers from the fourth squad start to go to his aid but stop as the ground begins to tremble under their feet! Soon, tiny cracks begin to appear on the surface of the great metal surface. Green light pours out of the ever widening cracks before the entire cube explodes in spectacular fashion! As Ichigo leans against Yoruichi, his eyes go wide at the display.

**Ichigo: **'No way! That seal was used on me when I was trying to get my soul reaper powers back! It took my inner hollow to destroy that barrier; just how powerful is this guy?'

As if to answer the orange-haired teen, Thanos breaks free of his restraints and grabs the fatigued mystic by the throat!

**Thanos:** 'I will not be beaten! I will not be restrained!'

He charges energy behind his eyes as Urahara disappears from his position. Thanos sees the blonde man speed towards him and foregoes his plan to labatomize the mystic. Instead, he slams Strange into the earth, burrying him with his immense strength! As he disposes of the sorcerer, Thanos hears the hatted man call out;

**Urahara: **'Awaken, Benihime!'

A flash of crimson energy signals the release of the former captain's zanpakutou as he now holds the ornately designed sword in his right hand. Thanos doesn't wait for the man to come to him as he fires off the charged energy from his eyes. Kisuke puts Benihime in front of his face as he says;

**Urahara:** 'Scream, Benihime; Blood Mist Shield.'

A crimson, hexagonal energy shield materializes in front of the man as Thanos's eye beams ricochet off of it! In one fluid motion, Kisuke follows his defense up by saying;

**Urahara:** 'Binding, Benihime.'

A deep red, almost black, glow radiates off of his sword as he slashes the air with it. From the motion, a large energy net is formed that falls over the titan with practiced accuracy. The eternal sneers as he begins to mock the smaller man.

**Thanos: **'Another "prison"? If this is all the power you possess, then I will gladly destroy you!'

As the titan speaks, the net closes in on the alien's massive frame, constricting his arms to his sides. The former captain lands about ten yards away and points his sword at the end of the net that lays by his geta-clad feet. Quickly, he stabs the net while saying;

**Urahara:** 'Fire-playing, Benihime; beaded mesh!'

Instantly, black spheres begin to appear on either side of the net. Thanos watches as the spheres errupt into balls of flame that start a domino effect until they're almost at his bound form. Seconds before the exploding energy comes into contact with his enemy, Kisuke is heard speaking an incantation.

**Urahara:** 'Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy! Boil forth and deny! Grow numb and flicker. Disrupt sleep! Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness! Hado, number ninety; Kurohitsugi!'

The balls of fire hit the eternal's bindings just as an immensely large black coffin of gravity consumes the titan's body! Multiple cross-like spears appear out of nowhere and thrust themselves into the box, like how a magician would impale a box that holds their assistant. Whatever damage is being done to the eternal on the inside of the black energy coffin remains unknown. However, a massive quake is felt under foot as Benihime's attack is unleashed upon the powerful alien. Kisuke flash steps to the unconscious mystic and picks him up as he flash steps away to a safer distance. He lays the bruised and bloody man down on the ground as the lieutenant of the fourth squad, Isane Kotetsu rushes over to attend to him. The hatted man eyes Yoruichi and a stunned Ichigo as he passes them to get to the head captain.

**Yamamoto:** 'A complete Kurohitsugi? Impressive, Kisuke Urahara.'

The blonde man bows before saying;

**Urahara:** 'Thank you for allowing me to come back; if only for this moment.'

Within minutes, another rumble is felt and everyone turns towards the black coffin which is now cracking at the seams and beginning to fade away. A tremendously bloody and battered Thanos is seen on his hands and knees as he coughs up blood. He wheezes as he struggles for breath through nearly dead lungs. Faint traces of power can be seen flickering around his hands and eyes as he wearily looks around at the united front of soul reaper and hero. Through bloody lips, the titan tries to form words.

**Thanos: **'Your... strongest attacks... are... nothing to me...!'

A flabbergasted Renji appears next to Ichigo and rubs the back of his head.

**Renji:** 'Are you kidding me? What the hell do we have to do to beat this guy?'

Just then, a perfectly round hole appears in the sky and a fifteen foot creature, made entirely out of pitch, emerges from its depths. The immense presence that is immediately felt has even Head-Captain Yamamoto take notice! The being of pure fear and power just hovers above Thanos and before everyone else, but doesn't provide insight whether it is friend or foe.

**Editor's Notes: Not much to say other than let me know what you think! And thank you for being such great followers of my humble work :)**


	35. The Price of Victory

**Marvel/Bleach**

**The Price of Victory**

As Ikkaku, carrying a wounded Yumichika, appears next to Renji and Ichigo, he stares wide-eyed at the inky-black creature before them all.

**Ikkaku:** 'Who the hell is that? This presence is like nothin' I've ever felt!'

**Renji:** 'I know what you mean; the power that it radiates is overwhelming! Could it be the **Spirit King**?'

At the sixth squad lieutenant's assumption, Yoruichi speaks up.

**Yoruichi:** 'I don't think so; although no one has ever **seen **the ruler of soul society, this power just doesn't feel right.'

As everyone else ponders silently as to who the mystery being is, Thanos looks up from his position and frowns at the creature overhead.

**Thanos:** 'There is no **reason **for you to make your pressence known to these beings. I have them at my mercy; soon they will be on their knees, **begging **for their end!'

The creature of pure darkness seems to move ever so slightly as the titan speaks. It waves the appendage that is assumed to be its arm, and suddenly Thanos's mouth disappears from his face! The titan's eyes grow large with shock as he brings his right hand up to touch at the smooth skin that has replaced his lips. After this, the mysterious being begins to speak. The voice is a deep echo that seems to be heard through both the ears and the minds of everyone in the area!

**?:** _**'I am not soul society's Spirit King; he still has ultimate power over this realm. I am Death; ruler of this pitiable creature below me and watcher over the five who have ventured into soul society.'**_

Thanos scowls at the insault that is thrown at him by his Queen. Minutes pass and the head captain steps up and addresses the powerful creature.

**Yamamoto:** 'What is your **purpose **here?'

**Death: **_**'My purpose is to take what is mine.'**_

At this, Genryusai begins to draw his sword.

**Yamamoto: **'Soul society is not yours, creature! You will not find us easy prey.'

Again, with a wave of its arm, Death makes the elder soul reaper sheath his zanpakutou!

**Death: **_**'Do not tempt me, head captain of the thirteen court gaurd squads. My patience have worn thin due to the eternal's failure.'**_

After witnessing the other-dimensional being's power, many of the gathered soul reapers are cautious to move. Yamamoto takes his hand away from Ryujin Jakka and calmly looks at the being made of shadow.

**Yamamoto:** 'If you are not here to attack us, then why make your presence known?'

**Death:** _**'I have been watching the titan's movements since he came to this dimension. It is true that I gave him the power to come here, but I only wanted to test you.'**_

**Yamamoto: **'Us? For what purpose? How would you come to know of us?'

**Death:** _**'Tiny creature. You are known as a "death god" and yet you know nothing of its purpose. Being rulers of our own dimensions, your King and I share a respectable bond. Some time ago he came to me with a proposition to test you and your squads against a threat most unimaginable.'**_

Gasps are heard from everyone around as Thor steps up to question the embodiment of the permanent end.

**Thor:** 'I doth knowest the folly of gods and their games. Why woudst thou unleash a destroyer such as Thanos upon an unsuspecting realm? Surely you didst know of the consequences?'

**Death:** _**'I surely did; however, I did not foresee you and the other heroes getting involved. I found it amusing that you all were willing to die to help an unknown universe.'**_

Death pauses as it surveys each and every hero that is gathered; both conscious and unconscious. When it speaks again, it shows them a possible path that their lives, upon dying, could take.

**Death:** _**'Looking into each of your souls, I see that you all have formed bonds in the short time that you have had here. The soul reapers have come to accept you and even want to further understand you.'**_

As it finishes speaking, Thor's mind goes white before he sees himself surrounded by soul reapers. He is the tallest of them all and he too, wears a soul reaper's kimono. Over his black robes is a sleeveless captain's haori and his blond hair is braided in back. Grasped in his right hand and perched on his right shoulder is a long handled, massive war hammer. Even though the thunderer has never seen this weapon before, he can tell from his mind's picture that this is his zanpakutou's Shikai state.

**Thor:** 'What trickery is this?'

**Death:** _**'This is no trick; this is but a glimpse of what could happen if I allowed you to pass over to this world upon your body's death.'**_

Death moves on to the feral mutant who eyes the figure wearily. Soon, his mind is washed in a brilliant light before he too, sees himself in black robes. His arms are bare up to his shoulders but on his left bicep, he wears a lieutenant's badge. His forearms are wrapped in black cloth and the bottom half of his face is concealed under a black wrap. As Logan watches the image in his head, he sees himself draw his zanpakutou but doesn't hear anything. His mind goes white again and he is next pictured holding a tri-bladed weapon in each of his hands! Logan covers his face with his hand as the image lingers for a moment longer.

Death then moves on to the jade giant who tenses with stress. The entity easily manipulates Hulk's mind into a vision of what could be. He outwardly frowns at what he is shown. Standing alone in the expanse of the vision is a man that is 5'9 1/2" with brown hair and glasses. Hulk looks at Bruce Banner and sees that he wears the black robes of a soul reaper and they are covered by a long sleeved captain's haori. As the green goliath looks down to the man's waist, he sees three swords tucked into his white obi. Two swords are positioned on his left side and one sword is on his right. The smaller of the sword's handles on his left is wrapped in a dark grey binding and the larger sword on the same side is wrapped in a light green colored cloth. He looks again to the right and notices that this sword is the longest of the three and is covered in a dark emerald-hued wrap. Hulk can tell that Bruce is extremely calm but his three unique zanpakutou are filled with rage and power!

**Death:** _**'Do you see? You are that man's power, but he ultimately controls you.'**_

Before Hulk can argue, Death moves on to the healing female telepath. At its apparent "gaze", Betsy moves to a sitting position and tries to block the being's power.

**Death:** _**'Do you believe that you are a worthy challenger? Another question; do you want to resist what is in your heart at this exact moment?'**_

Death easily moves past Psylocke's defenses and shows the path that is in her heart. Instead of being clothed in the traditional garb of a soul reaper, she is dressed from head to toe in the stealth force garb. Her face is completely covered by a black mask, save for her purple eyes that glint in the light. Her purple locks are in a long, tight braid that pokes out of the back of her head gear. She has a kodachi that is strapped to the small of her back, horizontally. As the mutant tries to shake the images from her mind, Death moves on to the still unconscious Stephen Strange who is being healed by the fourth squad lieutenant.

**Death:** _**'I do not need to ask if you can hear me, Stephen. You are most unique amongst your fellow allies. I know how special you are and what you are capable of. You learned this world's magick under the pretense of wanting to become stronger. I see that in your heart, however, that you were truly curious of the soul reaper's abilities. Your life would be most interesting if you came to reside in this realm.'**_

In his mind, Stephen Strange finds himself surrounded by many soul reapers who have their faces covered by white, long flowing masks. Their very identities are shrouded in mystery, and as the sorcerer looks on he takes note of how he is now dressed. Over his soul reaper kimono he wears a long indigo blue coat that nearly touches the ground. The collar of the garmet flares up around his neck, similar to how his red cape does now. In his right hand, he holds a golden staff that resembles a monk's and it has free-dangling rings attached to the round ring at the top. Though he's never seen this outfit before, in his mind he knows it to be the garb of whoever captains the kido corps!

After giving each of the heroes glimpses of themselves and leaving them with more questions than answers, Death moves to look down at the powerless titan.

**Death: **_**'I do not like to lose any type of wager, and if it were left to my discretion, I would collect all of your souls for myself here and now. Coming to this realm leaves me with only so much power, however. The Soul King has forbidden me to do any harm to you; including those that rightfully belong to me.'**_

Having no choice but to listen to the black figure's words, the soul reapers tense restlessly. Picking up Thanos with unseen power, Death continues its speech.

**Death:** _**'He said I coul not harm you, but he did not say I could not erase this embarassment from each of your minds.'**_

At this, the head captain speaks up again.

**Yamamoto: **'You would invade our minds just so you can erase your embarassment?'

**Death:** _**'Yes. Be thankful that I will only erase these last few days. If you were to anger me, I could erase your entire life from your mind! However, my power is not absolute here, so you will retain a sense of "deja vu" from this experience. You will look down and see scars with no memory of how you obtained them. Your dreams may include beings that do not come from your world. This will happen when the last of my universe's beings leave your realm.'**_

As everyone looks to each other, hero and soul reaper alike, Yoruichi steps up and speaks to Death.

**Yoruichi:** 'What happens to those that aren't here? There is a being that surely knows of Thanos's **involvement **in his domain. When the heroes leave, he could attack us when we are at our weakest!'

**Death:** _**'Do not worry child, Aizen and his ilk were not made aware of the titan's plans. I concede an error when first bringing him to this dimension. Like the mystic when he transported you all here at a different time, I teleported my pawn to Hueco Mundo. To rectify this, I shielded his activity from that being who thinks of himself as god.'**_

The mood lifts slightly at the being's words, but everyone still remains weary of Death. With nothing more than a wave of its hand, Death re-opens the perfect circular gateway and begins to float through with her cargo in tow. As she leaves, the gathered forces can hear it speak to Thanos.

**Death: **_**'If you believe that erasing your memory of this will be your only punishment, titan, you are severly misinformed. You would have truly died here tonight if I would have left you to them. You dissapoint me.'**_

As the portal fades from existence, Thanos's muffled response can be heard in protest to his Mistress's chastising!

Just as the soul reapers begin to take further assement of their losses, an angry, almost whining voice can be heard coming from over a hill. Thor and Hulk look to see who the being is and what they see truly shocks them. Making it over the hill first comes an enormous creature with a giant golden head that resembles a baby's! A rotating silver halo reflects the moon as it moves around the large head. Its shoulders are covered by a red cape of sorts and many, many legs propel the creature forward similar to a catepillar. As the heroes look on in shocked disbelief, Logan growls;

**Wolverine:** 'What the hell now?'

After the creature makes it halfway over the hill, the heroes get a glimps of the creater of this monstrosity; Mayuri Kurotsuchi! His creature stops at the peak of the hill as the twelfth squad captain flash steps down to meet everyone.

**Mayuri: **'I don't **believe **this! I put the finishing touches on an invention that would neutralize the alien, without destroying him, and he's **gone**! I demand retribution! I was prosmised by the magician that I could have him to study once we beat him.'

He turns his wide-eyed gaze to the healing sorcerer and smiles wickedly.

**Mayuri:** 'If I can't have the alien, I will settle on experimenting on him **instead**!'

The head captain clears his throat and the half-crazed scientist looks over to him.

**Yamamoto:** 'That is enough, Captain Kurotsuchi! Stephen-san nearly risked his **life **to prevent that creature from causing more destruction upon our world. Treat him with **respect**.'

Hulk walks up to the smaller captain and points to the abomination that is on the hill.

**Hulk:** 'If you wanna experiment on something, then maybe start with **that **thing.'

The captain closes his eyes in dismisal of the green goliath.

**Mayuri:** 'Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo? Fool; I **constantly **experiment on my Bankai. I want something new to cut open!'

With that, a collective sigh breaks out amongst the many soul reapers. The heroes may not be used to Kurotsuchi's ways, but everyone else has heard enough from him to know that he's not completely ready to dissect any of the heroes today! With that, the blue-haired captain re-seals his zanpakutou and helps the fourth squad in transporting the wounded to the healing ward. Wolverine, Thor and Hulk refuse medical treatment from everyone who offers it to them, instead insisting that they take care of Strange and Betsy. As everyone leaves the battle site, Logan takes a long look at the destruction that has been brought down upon the area by both his enemies and his allies. He sighs before heading back after everyone else has already left. As he walks, he picks up on Yoruichi's scent who seems to have doubled back after she had seen to the care of Soi Fon and Ichigo.

**Yoruichi:** 'Logan, are you heading back to Sei Rei Tei?'

**Wolverine: **'Not at the moment, darlin'. There's nothin' I can do there right now anyway. I'd just get in the way.'

She appears next to the hairsuit man and walks casually at his side.

**Yoruichi: **'It's late and I know you could use some rest.'

**Wolverine:** 'There's plenty o' places out here that I can sleep. I like bein' outdoors and under the stars.'

**Yoruichi:** 'You're worried about your teammates **aren't **you?'

**Wolverine: **'Me? **No**. I know they're in good hands. I'm just not that good at playin' the waitin' game. My healin' factor saves me from pretty much **anythin'**, but all I've ever really been good at is destruction. I'm not so good at healin' people y'know?'

The former squad two captain looks across at her companion and smirks.

**Yoruichi:** 'I don't know about that; from how I've seen Soi Fon act around you, I'd say you're a decent healer.'

Though the sometimes cat is trying to lighten the mood, the mutant frowns instead.

**Wolverine: **'Ya heard what Death said right? It'll be like our time here didn't even **happen**. Sure everyone'll have their wounds to wonder 'bout, but I'll be left with **nothin' **from my time here!'

The auburn-haired female stops and folds her arms.

**Yoruichi:** 'You don't seem the type to dwell on that sort of stuff. Does the thought of losing your memories mean that **much **to you?'

Logan nearly growls out his reply.

**Wolverine:** 'Darlin', I've had my memories wiped and manipulated so many times, that for a long while, I didn't know **what **to believe. Nobody else may care, but **I **sure as hell do.'

Logan turns around and continues to walk without waiting to see if the cocoa-skinned woman follows. Shortly, he hears a sigh and light footsteps as she again catches up to him.

**Yoruichi:** 'I'm **sorry **Logan; I didn't know what kind of life you had to endure before you came here.'

She looks down at her feet as they walk a little further before she smiles at Logan.

**Yoruichi:** 'Anyway, you have at least until Stephen-san and Betsy recover to continue to enjoy our company.'

**Wolverine:** 'I hear ya darlin', but knowin' that guy, he'll wanna leave as soon as he wakes up.'

Yoruichi sees that it's just best to drop it and leave the mutant to his thoughts, so she places a comforting hand on his shoulder before disappearing into the night.

**The following afternoon.**

After much confusion and very little help from anyone in Sei Rei Tei, Hulk has finally made it to the fourth squad's healing ward. Before walking up the steps, he looks up at a large white sign that has a black diamond and the kanji for the number four inscribed in the middle painted on it. The jade giant huffs and, in two strides, clears the five steps that lead up to the wooden sliding doors. Inside the surprisingly cool building, he sees many soul reapers running about tending to the many that are still being treated from last night's war. Even though Hulk is seven feet and green, a nurse in a pink colored kimono runs into him in her haste! The short brown-haired nurse lands hard on the ground as she lets out a small moan while rubbing her head.

**Hulk:** 'Uh, sorry. Do you know where I can find Kenpachi?'

The girl stops rubbing her head when she hears his deep voice and her eyes go wide with surprise as she looks at him. She lets out a small squeek and quickly backs away from the jade giant before getting up and running past him! Hulk stands back up to his full height and scratches his unruly green mane. Frustrated, he lets out a sigh and resolves to just look for the eleventh squad captain on his own. After walking for several minutes, the green goliath is surprised by how big the place seems to be. Despite being in another dimension, he takes notice that it resembles his Earth's hospitals. Many rooms line both sides of the main corridor and he passes a few gurneys as he walks. Everytime he comes to a room, he looks in through the small square window in each door. Most of the rooms house soul reapers he's never met, so he continues on his journey. He rounds a corner and heads down another corridor and as he passes a door that is half adjar, something catches his eye. Hulk pauses to look in the room and sees the tall fox captain of the seventh squad putting his captain's haori on over his kimono. Upon hearing the green goliath stop outside his door, Sajin beckons him in with a wave of his furry hand.

**Komamura:** 'What brings you here today, Hulk-san?'

**Hulk:** 'I was looking for Kenpachi.'

**Komamura:** 'I have not seen the eleventh squad captain; would you like for me to help you?'

The jade giant shakes his head.

**Hulk:** 'No, it's not a big deal that I find him. How's your body doing after last night?'

**Komamura: **'My pride as a soul reaper is still wounded, but my body has been healed.'

**Hulk:** 'We told you that Thanos was **tough**.'

**Komamura:** 'His speed made him elusive, but the strength that alien posessed was nearly unimaginable.'

**Hulk:** 'Tell me about it; next time, use your Bankai.'

The light slap the jade giant delivers to the fox's shoulder rocks him slightly.

**Komamura:** 'Do you believe there will be a "next time"? That being made of shadow said it would erase our memories because of its defeat.'

Hulk shrugs before turning to leave.

**Hulk: **'I've been through too much to take **anything **as absolute anymore. All I can say is, you never know. I'll see you around, Sajin.'

The jade giant lumbers out of the fox's room and continues down the corridor as he resumes his search.

**Last night.**

After parting ways with Yoruichi, Logan's mood remained sour. He took a deep breath through his nose to try and clear his head, but the smell of his own dried blood upon his costume nearly turned his stomach! He let out a low growl as he tore his mask completely away from his costume. He threw it to the ground as he flash stepped to the walls of Sei Rei Tei. He silently made his way to his room in the eighth squad barracks to get another kimono and then flash stepped back out without anyone knowing. He walked aimlessly with the soul reaper's garb tucked under his arm until he came to a peaceful flowing river. He stood at the river's edge and closed his eyes as he tried to calm himself. He stripped down and emersed himself into the cool flowing water. After Logan washed his body, he let the natural breeze dry his hairy form before he put on the kimono. He found a large elder tree and tried to find peace as he laid down to sleep.

**The following afternoon; the present.**

As Hulk enters the healing ward, Logan opens his blue eyes to the sound of voices in the distance. He gets up and stretches out his muscles before heading in the direction of the noise. After walking for a few minutes, the mutant comes to the part of the Rukon District that was most affected by Thor's impossibly large tornado. Several trees that lined the dirt-laden street have been uprooted and flung about, while others have been bent over at impossible angles. As he steps past the trees and onto the road, he sees several of the adult males of the village making repairs to the already dilapidated buildings, as a few children play in the street. The largest of the boys notice Logan first as he stops playing and stares at him. As he pauses, the other two boys and one girl stop as well when they see why their friend is distracted.

**middle boy:** 'Whoa, a soul reaper!'

At this, a man that is on one of the ladders looks over his shoulder and sees Logan as well.

**man:** 'What's that? Hey, we don't want no trouble; we're just tryin' to fix up our homes.'

Logan holds up his arms in a non-aggressive manner to show the people he means them no harm.

**Wolverine: **'I ain't here ta make trouble, bub. This looks like one hell of a job fer just the few o' ya; mind if I help?'

The oldest of the men comes over to inspect Logan. The mutant stands quietly, not wanting to do anything to hurt his chances of being accepted. After a minute of scrutiny, the elder nods his bald head and goes back to holding the ladder for the other man. From the ladder, the man also nods while saying;

**man:** 'Alright, you can help; grandpa says you're good.'

The mutant drops his hands and walks over to pick up a mallet. The children resume their game as Logan walks over to a broken beam. Logan looks around for a tape measure, but remembers that this place mimics Feudal Japan and that there wouldn't be something like that in that time period. He spots a ball of string and smirks as he quickly measures the length that he'll need. After picking up a long piece of wood, he looks around for a saw but doesn't see anything sharp enough to cut the board. Shrugging, he simply pops the claws on his right hand and slices cleanly through the beam. The man on the ladder hears the sound the claws make as they explode from in between Logan's knuckles and whistles.

**man: **'That your zanpakutou?'

**Logan:** 'Ya know 'bout that?'

**man:** 'Not me personally, but my son there, he wants to be a soul reaper one day. He tells me all kinds of stories about them. One time, about a month back, he told me about some soul reaper with orange hair causin' all kinds trouble. He was so excited he couldn't sleep for a couple of days after that.'

Logan looks over to the boy that looked at him with awe. He sees him now with a wooden stick that he fashioned into a make-shift sword as he chases the others around. The mutant looks down at his birthright that reflects the Sun from overhead and smirks.

**Wolverine:** 'Do any o' ya know what happened ta cause all this damage?'

**man: **'Nobody really knows. All we know is that it was calm one minute and the next a storm so violent comes through that it nearly rips our homes apart. We could see an amazin' light show comin' from somewhere in the forest, but none of us wanted to venture out to see what it was.'

**Wolverine:** 'Huh.'

The mutant goes silent as he nails the beam into place. He doesn't feel like telling them that they nearly had an invasion take place right under their noses! After putting some weight on it to test its durability, he moves on to another project. While he works, Logan looses himself in his thoughts as he just can't seem to shake what Death had said. _What's the matter with me? It's not like we've been here all that long; I shouldn't be feelin' this beat up 'bout loosin' my memories! I've dealt before with not knowin' 'bout thin's; why's this so damn hard to accept? _Even though the mutant is extremely tense about his current situation, he remains controlled enough to not let the people that he's helping take notice. He, instead, immerses himself completely in the work at hand to try and dispel his seemingly out-of-character mood.

As Logan attempts to cope, Thor also finds himself going to the soul reaper's medical ward to see how his teammates and soul reapers are doing. He doesn't get quite the reaction that Hulk had gotten when he traversed these halls, but the nurses still give him a wide bearth as they pass the blonde god. As he walks down a hallway, he hears a familar woman's voice complaining to somebody.

**Rangiku:** 'I'm fine! Will you give it a rest with trying to fondle me?'

Thor walks in on the struggling tenth squad lieutenant as she wrestles with a nurse in pink as she attempts to check her abdomen for any further injuries. When the blonde woman notices Thor, her eyes light up and she shoves the nurse out of the way. She's not wearing her reaper kimono, but rather a white robe that the thunderer assumes is traditional garb for patients here. She practically runs to the tall god as she hugs him tightly. Thor puts one arm around the busty lieutenant and as his hand touches her side she winces slightly.

**Thor: **'Didst I hurt you, fair Rangiku?'

**Rangiku:** 'No, no; it's just that your touch tickles is all.'

She tries to smile, but the god has been around enough injuries to know that she's just trying to be brave. He takes her hand and leads her over to the bed where he has her sit.

**Thor:** 'It twud not be shameful to admit that yon injury needs attention. Thanos doth be a mighty warrior and his strength reaches even me.'

She unconsciously puts a hand to her stomach as she listens to the god speak.

**Rangiku: **'I've been punched before, but when he hit me, it felt as if he punched a hole through my body.'

She reaches down and loosens her robe to reveal her heavily bruised stomach. Just below her bust line is a large bruise in the shape of Thanos's fist!

**Rangiku:** 'The fourth squad has healed the internal wounds and I'm fully recovered, but this bruise won't go away.'

Thor touches the reminder of their struggle and frowns.

**Thor:** 'In time, the evidence of Thanos wilt surely fade.'

Matsumoto looks up into her companion's blue eyes as she says;

**Rangiku:** 'Before or after my memory of you disappears?'

She hides her face in his thick chest and he puts a comforting hand on her head as he tries to silently console her.

Hulk has finally found where they have Zaraki housed and he walks into his room to find his small pink-haired lieutenant sitting in a chair with her knees against her chest. Upon seeing the green goliath, Yachiru's eyes light up slightly.

**Yachiru:** 'Green Green!'

**Hulk:** 'Hey kid; how's he doing?'

Kusajishi shrugs as she silently looks back to where her care giver lies with diodes attached to his temples and upper chest. His eyepatch has been replaced and Hulk imagines it's due to the fact that his energy was to great for anyone to do anything to help him without it. Hulk walks over to the unconscious soul reaper and gets right in his face as he whispers;

**Hulk:** 'You know you still owe me a **fight**, spikey hair. I'm not gonna leave until I wipe the **floor **with your ass.'

Kenpachi's adoptive daughter looks up at Hulk as she overhears what he had said.

**Yachiru:** 'He'll wake up for sure! He really likes fighting you, Green Green.'

**Hulk:** 'I **hope **so, kid; the guy's pretty strong. It'd be a shame if he didn't have anything left to fight for.'

Before Hulk ducks his head and leaves the room, he could swear that, out of the corner of his eye, he sees the wild captain's lip twitch up into a small smirk.

A little later in the hospital room of the mutant known as Psylocke, Hanataro Yamada finishes healing the last of Betsy's wounds as Shuuhei Hisagi looks on from the corner of the room. As the seventh seat of squad four starts to put bandages back into the pack that he wears on his back, Betsy smiles and says;

**Psylocke:** 'We 'ave to stop meeting like this 'Anataro dear.'

The black-haired young man blushes as he stands up.

**Hanataro: **'Um, I'm only healing you b-because I have the most experience with your body.'

He blushes even harder as he realizes how his words must have sounded. He bows repeatedly as Psylocke covers her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

**Hanataro: **'I-I didn't **mean **it like that! I-it's just that I've h-healed your wounds before and - '

**Psylocke:** 'It's **fine**, dear; you're cute when you're all worked up like this.'

He nervously darts his head to the equally amused ninth squad lieutenant before quickly leaving the room. Shuuhei gets up and makes his way to the mutant's bedside. She swings her legs over the side to wrap her calfs around his thighs and pulls him in close to her. He blushes at her advance but allows himself to be captured by the beautiful woman.

**Shuuhei:** 'Are you sure you're alright?'

**Psylocke:** 'My powers protected me from the worst of Thanos's attack and 'Anataro 'ealed all of my injuries. Are you worried about me that much, love?'

**Shuuhei:** 'Y-yes. You're... special to me and I feel like I haven't been able to protect you.'

**Psylocke: **'Sometimes, a woman doesn't **need **protecting; she just needs to be tended to.'

With that, she grabs him by the openings of his top and pulls him in for a deep kiss!

As the Asgardian god of thunder leaves the tenth squad leiutenant in the hands of her nervous caretaker, he goes in search of another soul reaper who he has come to regard as a friend. As Thor rounds a corner, he sees Shunsui Kyoraku walking casually down the hallway towards him. He is shirtless and barefooted with just his black bottoms on. His wavy brown hair flows down his back as he is not wearing his always present pin-wheel hair ties. Upon seeing the blonde god, the captain waves at him.

**Shunsui:** 'Look who's here.'

**Thor: **'Greetings, Captain Kyoraku. How doth thou fair?'

As he says this, he looks down at the soul reaper's hairy torso to see a few bandages adorning his chiseled frame.

**Shunsui:** 'Nothing a little sake and relaxation won't cure. Care to join me?'

Before Thor can give his reply, a woman with green hair and wearing a pink kimono comes running down the hall with a clip board in her hand, chasing after the bandaged captain.

**nurse:** 'C-Captain Kyoraku! Captain Unohana said to stay in bed! P-please come back so I won't get yelled at!'

The girl is nearly crying and Thor can tell that she has been chasing this man for quite sometime by the look of her frazzled features. As she approaches, the eighth squad captain bows slightly before saying good bye.

**Shunsui:** 'Think about my offer, Thor-san; I'll be around.'

He quickly walks past the god and rounds the corner before the nurse can catch up. Thor, slightly amused, watches the girl as she disappears around the corner as well before he continues on his quest. As he walks past another room, he stops because of the amount of cold that permeates the air. Smiling because he has found the right room, Thor nocks once before putting his hand on the inset handle. He sees that the boy captain of squad ten has sealed the door with a sheet of ice to, perhaps, bar entry from unwanted guests. Using a bit of force, the god breaks the ice seal and steps into the room. Toshiro Hitsugaya is sitting with his back to the door, looking out the window.

**Toshiro:** 'I thought that by freezing the door, people would get the idea that I wanted to be left alone.'

**Thor: **'Aye, that thought didst cross my mind, Captain Hitsugaya.'

At the sound of the thunderer's voice, the cool captain turns his head and stares at the tall man.

**Toshiro: **'Oh, it's you. No wonder I didn't sense any spiritual pressure.'

**Thor:** 'Odin's Son doth not mean to pry; mine presence is only meant to see how thee fairs.'

The white-haired youth sighs as he gets up and goes to the window. He leans his right shoulder up against the frame as he looks out into the bright clear sky; not wanting to meet the god's gaze.

**Toshiro:** 'My four ribs are healed, along with my spleen and punctured right lung. Two vertebrae were displaced along my spine when Thanos struck me. They have been healed as well. My broken jaw has also been mended thanks to Captain Unohana. Anything else?'

Thor's eyebrows lift upon hearing the true extent of the boy captain's injuries at the hands of their enemy.

**Thor:** 'Fort losing Death's "game" the titan's punishment will be severe, I can assure you.'

**Toshiro: **'I'm not angry at the alien for beating me; I'm **disgusted **with myself for how weak I am. If I didn't warn everyone before I used Hyoten Hyakkaso, Thanos wouldn't have had time to counter me.'

**Thor: **'Thanos doth possess a genius level intelect; he hath plans to counter any situation that arises. Tis not your fault. You show true spirit **because **you doth care about yon companions.'

The boy sighs and Thor knows that the captain is internalizing his own feelings of powerlessness. The thunderer nods mostly to himself as he takes one last look at his kindered spirit before walking out of the chilled room and closing the door.

Logan initially just wanted to have something to do to get his mind off of what Death had said the previous night. However, after spending a couple hours with these residents of Rukon, he is finding that the work he's doing under the warm sun is enjoyable. After fixing and reinforcing some shingles on the last house that was damaged, the mutant foregoes the ladder as he leaps down from the roof, landing in a small cloud of dust. The middle boy who first assumed who Logan was by how he was dressed, runs over to him and pulls on his sleeve.

**middle boy:** 'Soul reaper-san, please teach me how to land like that! When I become older, I'm gonna become a soul reaper too!'

**Wolverine: **'Easy kid, ya can quit with the soul reaper stuff; my name's Logan.'

The mutant kneels down so the he's at eye level with the boy.

**Wolverine:** 'Alright; all ya have ta remember is that when ya jump, make sure you bend yer knees at the moment just before ya hit the ground. Your legs will absorb the impact so that yer feet won't hurt afterward.'

The boy nods his understanding and runs off to play with his friends. As Wolverine stands up he picks up the scent of Soi Fon from inside the forest that lies beyond the village. Logan parts ways with the souls of the village as he silently moves into the wooded area. After walking for a few minutes, the captain of squad two appears before the mutant, blocking his path.

**Wolverine:** ''Lo darlin'.'

**Soi Fon:** 'You are a difficult man to track, Logan.'

**Wolverine:** 'I didn't know ya cared.'

**Soi Fon:** '... My feelings were not weighed in the decision to come find you.'

**Wolverine:** 'Why'd ya come out here then?'

**Soi Fon:** 'You did not return with the others last night, nor did you recieve any treatment from the fourth squad.'

**Wolverine:** 'I heal fast, remember?'

The captain eyes her feral companion before changing topics.

**Soi Fon:** 'Where's your costume?'

**Wolverine:** '... I didn't feel like wearin' it anymore.'

**Soi Fon:** 'Is that your only reason?'

Logan sighs and looks away from the smaller woman.

**Wolverine:** 'Ya sure ask a lot o' questions ya know that?'

**Soi Fon:** 'As the commander of the stealth force, it's my **job **to know things.'

**Wolverine:** '... It smelled of **blood**. **My **blood. It... made me **sick**.'

Soi Fon's eyes go wide before softening.

**Soi Fon: **'You do not want your memories taken from you... do you?'

**Wolverine: **'No. I don't... they're all I got on some days, y'know?'

**Soi Fon: **'... I do.'

Sensing a change in the woman, Logan knows that no more questions will come from the captain for a while. He looks into her eyes before she diverts her gaze and then he walks past her, brushing her shoulder gently as he moves. She follows him in silence as they walk back to Sei Rei Tei together.

Dr. Strange finds himself floating in an endless sea of space. When he opens his eyes, the blackness of the expanse becomes alight with extrordinary brilliance. The first thing the mystic hears is an echoing voice that he knows belongs to Agamotto.

**Agamotto: **'Welcome sorcerer. Can you fathom where it is that you are at?'

Strange, free of gravity, slowly maneuvers his body to where he can see the being. This being that makes up one third of the Vishanti has taken the form of a giant eye, and at its pupil, an entire universe moves!

**Dr. Strange:** 'I am in a world between worlds; the home of the great Vishanti!'

Silence follows the mystic's reply and then Oshtur makes her appearance. Her form, this time, is of the very wind itself and her hair is a silky gold.

**Oshtur:** 'Your wounds are great, Stephen; many healers work tirelessly to mend your soul's body.'

The sorcerer frowns and closes his eyes.

**Dr. Strange: **'The spells that I used to entrap the titan took a great deal out of me. When he freed himself from my kidou, he nearly killed me when throwing me into the ground. If he was at full strength, I would not be here right now.'

Finally, Hoggoth makes his presence known as he appears before Stephen as a powerfully built tiger. As he walks around the floating sorcerer, his eyes flare up with wisdom and power.

**Hoggoth:** 'What will happen if we help you survive? Will you forget our intervention? Turn your back on us when we call on you?'

**Dr. Strange: **'I will not foresake the very reason for my powers! You who have defended Earth for countless of centuries are my strength and guidance.'

The three beings confer with each other and leave the mystic to his endless surroundings. When the nearly omnipotent Three return, Agamotto speaks their judgement.

**Agamotto:** 'We know of what Death had said to you. We believe that this is payment enough for our aid. You will suffer twice as much as your companions when you decide to leave this world. You were warned that you would not be able to keep your borrowed magick from this dimension.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I understand, All-Seeing Agamotto. Vishanti; you have my unwavering gratitude.'

In a flash of light, the space once again becomes dark and the three beings leave Strange alone. He looks down at his hands and closes his eyes. When he re-opens them, he is in a white room with three nurses in pink checking and re-checking their intruments. The one closest to him breaths a sigh of relief as the sorcerer comes to. The woman leaves the room and comes back shortly with the kind captain of squad four.

**Retsu:** 'Welcome back, Stephen-san. How do you feel?'

The mystic gives his form a mystical "once over" and then physically checks himself out. His outside wounds were undoubtedly healed by the fourth squad, but he also senses his insides are no longer in critical condition! He mentally thanks the Vishanti before answering the raven-haired woman.

**Dr. Strange: **'I feel suburb! Your squad does wonders Captain Unohana.'

She bows slightly at his compliment before asking;

**Retsu:** 'Head-Captain Yamamoto wanted to be informed when you became conscious. Would you like your teammates to know as well?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I will contact them after I meet with Genryusai.'

She nods her head and exits the room as the three nurses follow behind her. He sits up in his bed and quietly recalls his conversation with the Three that are One before he decides to go see the head captain.

**Editor's Notes: Slightly shorter chapter than what you're used to reading from me. Let me know what you think! Happy Reading!**


	36. Farewell

**Editor's Notes: Bleach and Marvel are owned by their respective companies. I write these characters out of respect, not because there is any monetary gain in it for me. Happy Reading!**

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Farewell**

As Dr. Strange stands up, he easily manipulates his white robes into the traditional loose flowing garb that he normally wears. After composing himself, the mystic teleports out of the room and re-emerges at the large doors that stand before the head captain's meeting room. He presses his garmets with his hands before opening the doors. The old man with the long flowing beard is sitting behind his desk with his hands interlaced in front of him.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I was told by Captain Unohana that you wanted to see me upon my waking.'

**Yamamoto:** 'Yes. How are you and your companions doing after last night?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'From what I can tell, they are taking everything that has happened in stride. The wounds that Betsy and I received have been healed by your squad four.'

**Yamamoto:** 'That is good to hear. What can you tell me about Death?'

The mystic closes his eyes at the elder's question.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I can not tell you too much; she is the "**end**", put into form.'

Genryusai's eyes open slightly when Stephen refers to the being made of pitch as a "she".

**Yamamoto:** 'What do you mean by "she"? That form that came before us was of no gender.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I know. Being an abstract, Death can take any form it chooses, but when it has appeared to us before, it usually comes in the form of a skeletal female. I can not begin to tell you why she - **it **- chose the solid mass of shadow this time.'

The soul reaper simply nods his head in acceptance of Strange's explanation.

**Yamamoto:** 'It had immense power. Even with you standing before me now, I can not detect any power from you. I know you **have **power, but it is undetectable. The moment Death stepped foot into soul society, I felt its power.'

**Dr. Strange: **'In our universe, we have many kinds of powerful other-dimensional beings that claim to be "rulers of hell" or "conquerers of death". What came here last night **was **Death. Everything it claimed to want to do, it could have done with but a thought. When Death spoke of knowing your Spirit King, I would believe it to be true.'

**Yamamoto: **'When you do leave, what is to stop Death from coming back and waging war on us again?'

**Dr. Strange: **'I can not say whether that will happen or not, but when Death said it did not hold absolute power over this realm, it was not a ruse. Your Spirit King gave her a task; "to prepare you for an attack that was unimaginable".'

The head captain sighs as he listens to the sorcerer's words.

**Yamamoto:** 'For as long as I have been head captain of the thirteen court gaurd squads, I have **never **seen the Spirit King. He is a mystery to even us soul reapers, but we serve and carry out our duties as if he was the one giving them to us.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'He does not oversee the rule of soul society?'

**Yamamoto:** 'Daily life and orders are handed down by central 46; he lives in another dimension entirely and rarely ever leaves that place.'

Stephen strokes his gotee with his right thumb and forefinger as the information sinks in.

**Yamamoto: **'I am going to call a captain's meeting to debrief everyone on what has transpired up to this point. Your group should attend as well before we part ways.'

**Dr. Strange: **'For what it is worth, I speak for us all when I say we have enjoyed our time here.'

**Yamamoto: **'You and your allies are powerful; I am glad that you were able to provide us with your aid.'

The elder captain nods his head in both respect and dismissal of the mystic. Dr. Strange bows before turning on his heal and exiting the large room. As the doors close behind him, he disappears to find the rest of his team.

With nothing else to do at the moment, the green goliath walks back to the place he finds most familiar; the eleventh squad. As he passes one of the training barracks, he hears voices and scuffling coming from inside. Hulk slides the door open and sees Ikkaku Madarame leaning casually against a wooden support beam. In the center of the room, Renji Abarai and Ichigo Kurosaki are sparring bare handed. Before anybody notices the jade giant, the orange-haired substitute throws a punch at the red-headed sixth squad lieutenant. Abarai dodges the punch, while grabbing his arm, and flips Kurosaki over his shoulder! The teen lands with a huff as a small cloud of dust rises from where he lands. The bald third seat of squad eleven looks up and notices Hulk as he lifts himself off of the beam.

**Ikkaku:** 'Look who finally decided to show up. Care to join us in a friendly scrimmage?'

Hulk steps through the doorway and into the large practice dojo.

**Hulk:** 'Not that I care, but the **last **time you wanted to spar against me, you, Renji and that other guy with the shades got your butts handed to you.'

The third seat smirks as he eyes the large behemoth.

**Ikkaku:** 'C'mon, we're not usin' our zanpakutou, so you won't have to worry about gettin' **hurt**.'

**Hulk:** 'I'm not worried about **you **hurting me; I'm more concerned about not wanting to send you back to the fourth squad when I'm done with you.'

He shifts his weight and looks over at the orange-haired teen who has picked himself off of the tatami mats.

**Hulk: **'What're you guys doing anyway? Did you not get enough fighting in last night?'

Renji brushes off his sleeves before answering Hulk's questions.

**Renji:** 'That guy's fighting styles were like **nothing **we've ever seen before. He was tough, but his hand-to-hand was amazing.'

**Ichigo:** 'If I was able to keep using Zangetsu, I might've been able to beat him. When he started using his fists, I could barely block his attacks.'

**Ikkaku:** 'Ichigo learns faster than I've ever seen anyone learn. It's like he was meant to be a soul reaper; we're training for anything else that might pop up.'

The green goliath rubs the back of his head and sighs.

**Hulk: **'I get that, but why are you all gathered in the eleventh squad? Baldy I can see; but the red-headed pineapple comes from the sixth squad right?'

At Hulk's nonchalant insults, both the third seat of squad eleven and the lieutenant of squad sixth close their eyes in annoyance and their left eyebrows twitch simultaneously.

**Ichigo:** 'I came by looking for Ikkaku and Renji was already here.'

The annoyed lieutenant grumbles out his reply;

**Renji:** 'I needed to get away from Captain Kuchiki. He was brooding over the loss of his scarf that Thanos burned.'

The jade giant nearly coughs as he tries to stop from laughing!

**Hulk: **'His scarf? The guy's mad cause he lost his scarf? Here I thought Strange was eccentric.'

**Renji: **'Apparently, its handed down to the head of the great Kuchiki clan, generation after generation. I don't think it's really about the scarf; I think he's mad that a guy like that alien grabbed him in the first place.'

Hulk is still trying to conceal his laughter and after a moment, he calms down.

**Hulk:** 'I wish we didn't have to leave soon; a piece of me wants to make fun of that guy **really **bad.'

**Renji:** 'You'd definately get a workout; Captain Kuchiki is in a whole different league.'

Hulk pops his knuckles.

**Hulk:** 'Sounds like my kind of guy.'

After the conversation dies, the green goliath gestures for the three to come at him. Before any real damage can be done to their surroundings, Dr. Strange materializes before them.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Hulk; I apologize for interrupting your bout, but Head Captain Yamamoto has requested our presence at a meeting he is holding.'

The quartet freeze at the mystic's appearance, with Ikkaku in a headlock, Ichigo trying to choke out the mammath and Renji wrapped around Hulk's huge leg! Hulk sighs with dissapointment and lets go of the hold he had Madarame in. He shrugs off Ichigo and pulls Renji away from his thigh. Strange's presence vanishes and Hulk turns his back to the three as he begins to lumber out of the room.

**Hulk:** 'Too bad. Maybe next time guys.'

The door closes behind him with a loud "clunk" and the jade giant bends his legs and launches himself into the air.

Meanwhile, Betsy has changed back into the costume that the Quincy, Uryu Ishida, had fashioned for her. As she fastens the cape around her shoulders, she notices that the costume has been cleaned and pressed. When she exits the fourth squad with Shuuhei Hisagi, she recieves a telepathic message from Stephen Strange. _Betsy; please meet me and the others at the head captain's meeting room as soon as you can. He wants to have a debriefing with the captains and he requests that we be there as well. _The telepath stops and mentally responds to the socrerer. _Sounds like it's about time for us to be on our way. A shame really. _Psylocke sees Stephen close his eyes in her mind as he cuts communication. Betsy sighs and the ninth squad lieutenant looks over at her.

**Shuuhei: **'Who were you "talking" to?'

**Psylocke:** 'It was Dr. Strange; 'e says that the 'ead captain wants us to be a part of a meeting.'

The mutant turns to the soul reaper and cups his cheek in her left hand while giving him a kiss just under his right earlobe.

**Psylocke:** 'I'll be sure to see you afterwards, love.'

She turns around and lets the soul reaper watch as she saunters off. Betsy puts about ten feet between her and Shuuhei before flash stepping out of sight.

As Stephen leaves Betsy's mind, Logan is still walking with the small captain of squad two. The hairy mutant notices many soul reapers watch them from windows or from the shadows of allyways. As he looks out of the corner of his eye, he notices no change in Soi Fon's features; but he would bet that she is keenly aware of the many extra sets of eyes on them as well. As if to answer the Canucklehead's unasked question, the soul reaper speaks.

**Soi Fon:** 'It is rare for me to be seen outside of squad two and even **rarer **for me to be seen with another "soul reaper". Even if some of these onlookers **knew **who you were, it would still surprise them to see me with you.'

**Wolverine:** 'I got ya; pretty much stick ta yerself right?'

**Soi Fon:** 'My duties are normally carried out in secret and without many being made aware of them. As we speak, many of my stealth force are stationed around the area and not one of these soul reapers are even **aware**.'

Logan sniffs the air and confirms what he had smelled earlier.

**Wolverine:** 'Yer right 'bout that, darlin'; we're passin' through the sixth squad and I can smell yer smoke buddies all over this place.'

The captain with the twin braids looks over at her companion.

**Soi Fon:** 'Do they really all smell like smoke?'

**Wolverine: **'They each have their own unique scent, but the overall smell o' them is smoke. I thought with yer shunpo ya didn't use thin's like smoke pellets.'

**Soi Fon:** 'We use all sorts of items to give us an advantage in battle. We use any means neccisary to accomplish our directive.'

The feral mutant nods his head in silent understanding as they continue to walk. Suddenly, a black butterfly floats over and Soi Fon holds out her right forefinger as it lands on the perch. Logan looks at her as she listens intently to an unheard message. Moments later, the butterfly takes to the air and the captain turns to Logan.

**Soi Fon: **'Head Captain Yamamoto has just called a captain's meeting. We should head there right away.'

**Wolverine:** '"**We**"?'

**Soi Fon: **'He requests that you and your companions be present as well.'

The mutant shrugs his shoulders as he starts to walk off in the direction of the first squad. He is stopped when the lithe woman puts her warm hand on his arm.

**Soi Fon:** 'Why walk when you can flash step? This way I can test just how fast you've become.'

Logan cracks a smile, revealing his canines.

**Wolverine:** 'We gotta bet somethin' that'll make it worth my while. How's 'bout if I win, ya gotta **kiss **me.'

The captain's cheeks turn red at his words!

**Soi Fon: **'Y-you **won't **win! When I beat you, you'll spend the rest of your time here with my lieutenant, cleaning the barracks!'

Wolverine pauses a moment before accepting the wager.

**Wolverine:** 'Alright, darlin', yer on.'

He disappears before she can recover from his previous statement! She frowns and then disappears as well, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake!

After leaving the company of Toshiro Hitsugaya, Thor takes to the skies and heads for the first squad. A storm rumbles in his mind as he battles with himself over what Death had said to them all earlier and what he's witnessed in the fourth squad. He doesn't like that the wounds that Thanos left will linger, but the soul reapers will have no memory of why they are even wounded. As the thunderer lands just outside of the long covered walkway that leads to the meeting room, he straps Mjolnir to his hip and begins to walk. Just as he reaches the doors to enter, he hears a loud impact and feels a small tremor under his booted feet. When he turns to investigate, he spots his green-hued ally emerging from a cloud of dust as he walks under the covered path. Hulk acknowledges the blonde god with a nod of his head as he approaches. The two powerful men open the doors together and walk in.

Psylocke comes out of her flash step just inside the corridor leading up to the large white doors of the head captain's meeting room. As she walks up to the doors, she catches Logan's thoughts as he comes out of his own flash step on top of the walkway's roof. _Made it! There's no way in hell that I'm gonna clean barracks with an idiot like Omaeda. Soi's gonna have ta eat her words when I go ta claim my prize. _Suddenly Logan's mood sours as he takes in a whiff of the air around him. _Son of a - she's never gonna let me hear the end o' this one. _He leaps off of the roof and greets Betsy with a frown. Psylocke smiles and thinks; _why would you bet a captain that you would beat them 'ere? Especially Soi Fon? _Logan folds his arms and leans against one of the thick red pillars that support the roof. _I thought I had more ta gain than she did. I swear; no matter how long I live, I'll never understand dames. _At this, Bestsy smiles and walks to open the doors as Logan follows her inside. Before they enter completely, Betsy thinks; _Logan, why are you wearing a soul reaper uniform? _His relpy; _I just needed a change is all. _As she's about to question him further, he gives her an intentional mental image of him ripping his costume off in disgust. With that, she exits his mind without another thought and tries to leave him with a feeling of consolation. He steals a glance at the proud second squad captain as she stands closest to where the head captain stands. She, in turn, smirks in the feral mutant's direction as she silently gloats her victory. In her mind, Psylocke thinks;_ it's _because _you had more to gain that she beat you, Logan. _He turns his head away from the small captain as he follows Betsy to where the other heroes are standing. The hairy mutant comes to a stop on the right side of his female teammate as he thinks back; _I figured as much._

Head-Captain Yamamoto takes a step forward when everyone has finally arrived. The heroes take note that two of the ten remaining captains are missing from the line-up; Kenpachi Zaraki of the eleventh squad and Jushiro Ukitake who is the head of squad thirteen. The eldest captain taps his walking stick on the floor to announce the start of the meeting.

**Yamamoto:** 'I have called you all here for the final time while our visitors are still here to strategize against what Death plans to do.'

Though the captain's eyes are closed, Dr. Strange can tell that he's surveying the entire room.

**Yamamoto:** 'Strange-san has explained that the being we encountered last night is his universe's embodiment of death. Most of you witnessed the power it possessed and we must believe if it wants to take our memories, it can.'

At this, the blue-haired captain of the twelfth squad steps forward.

**Mayuri: **'I have a theory on how to ultimately foil this "Death" being's victory.'

The heavily scarred head captain nods his head for the scientist to continue.

**Mayuri:** 'The Daireishokairo.'

Murmurs travel around the captains and Betsy picks up on Logan's translative thoughts. _What the hell is the great archive, some kinda library? _Yamamoto taps his concealed zanpakutou again and silence returns to the room.

**Mayuri:** 'We can not **possibly **combat our memories being erased, but if our experiences were recorded, this being the outsiders know as "death" would not be able to affect such a thing. The Great Archive holds all of soul society's histories; private and public.'

As the scientist pauses in his explanation, Dr. Strange steps up to comment.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I believe your theory is correct, Mayuri. In all of my experience, Death has not been able to rewrite what we know as history.'

Kurotsuchi sighs and interrupts the mystic.

**Mayuri:** 'Do not talk to me as if we are **friends**, strange doctor. You should always address me by my last name, if not by the title of "captain".'

Stephen closes his eyes at the captain's light chastizing as Mayuri picks up where Strange had left off.

**Mayuri:** 'We will not know, however, how to access these particular archives once the five outsiders leave soul society. The very fact that they will exist opens up the possibility for us to stumble upon them one day.'

**Yamamoto: **'We will put this into effect at once! We can not allow even our memories to be sacrificed by an enemy; use whatever resources you need to record the last several days into the Daireishokairo. You are all dismissed!'

As the doors open, Kurotsuchi walks proudly over to the five heroes. He looks each one in the eyes before saying;

**Mayuri:** 'Just to make sure we have **everything**, I'll need the five of you to stay at least one more night. Tomorrow, you can do whatever you like.'

He doesn't wait for a reply as he turns his back on the quintet. As he begins to stroll to the exit, Logan hears a crazed chuckle escape the scientist's lips before he flash steps out of the building. All the other captains begin to file out of the great hall as well when Shunsui casually strolls up to the heroes.

**Shunsui:** 'Thor-san; since you'll be here for at least another night, how about I treat you to some sake? Logan-san, you're welcome to come along as well.'

Before answering, the god of thunder thinks about everything that has just transpired and he sighs; content with how things are going.

**Thor:** 'Aye; it be time to accept yon offer, Shunsui Kyoraku.'

Wolverine eyes Soi Fon who has lingered behind her fellow captains and shakes his head.

**Wolverine: **'Right now I'd **love **ta take ya up on yer offer bub, but it looks like I have a promise ta keep.'

The captain smiles and the two walk out of the meeting room together. The feral mutant tucks his thumbs into his obi and hangs his head. Without looking up, he sends out a slightly annoyed thought to his teammate and telepath; Psylocke. _I don't suppose I could ask ya to put a mental whammy on Soi that keeps her from orderin' me ta clean her barracks. _Betsy's mental reply comes in the sound of amused laughter. _Sorry, dear; what would Charles say if 'e learned that I used my powers in such a way? _Logan sighs audibly as the small female captain approaches the group.

**Soi Fon:** 'Logan; walk with me.'

The mutant looks back at his allies and frowns as he sees there'll be absolutely no help from any of the remaining three. As he begins to walk with the raven-haired captain, he mutters;

**Wolverine:** 'So much fer helpin' a fella out.'

**Soi Fon: **'What was that, Logan?'

**Wolverine: **'Nothin' darlin', lets go.'

Hulk looks to Psylocke who has an exremely amused look on her face and says;

**Hulk: **'I don't know what that was all about, but if I don't remember anything else, I **better **remember the look on the runt's face just now!'

As the two small warriors depart the first squad's meeting room, the green goliath turns to Strange and Betsy.

**Hulk: **'It's my turn to head out. If you don't **need **me, don't look for me. **Got **it? I don't think I have to say, "Hulk just want to be left alone."'

The mystic and telepath exchange looks as the green goliath walks out of the building.

As Betsy begins to leave the sorcerer, she turns and says;

**Psylocke:** 'I don't think I need to tell you were I'm going to spend my final night.'

The telepath winks at the sorcerer before attempting to lighten his mood.

**Psylocke:** 'This 'as been a long journey for all of us, Stephen. Try to enjoy the last few 'ours 'ere OK?'

Stephen smiles at the purple-haired beauty.

**Dr. Strange:** 'My dear, what makes you say I have **not **enjoyed my time here?'

The mutant shrugs.

**Psylocke: **'No reason. Just remember, Thanos 'as been defeated and we 'elped win the day.'

The mystic nods as he pulls his cape around his shoulders. Once she leaves, only the head captain and Strange remain in the large empty room.

**Yamamoto:** 'You and your team have earned the priviledge to relax and explore the whole of soul society. You should join them in their time of rest.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I do not pretend to know what this "Daireishokairo" is Captain Yamamoto, so please forgive my ignorance when I ask if you think recording our time here will actually work.'

**Yamamoto: **'You are a very intelligent man, Strange-san so I will not insult you by explaining things. No matter how eccentric or strange Captain Kurotsuchi seems to you, he is an extremely capable scientist. If he says that recording the events that have transpired here over the last several days will work, then I trust that it will.'

**Dr. Strange: **'Know that I did not mean any disrespect by questioning this plan. I just do not like feeling powerless in a situation.'

**Yamamoto: **'I understand, but sometimes, even the powerful need only stand by while others take the lead.'

The mystic ponders the elder's words before nodding his understanding. With that, he bows to the soul reaper and teleports out of the room.

The setting Sun turns the light cloud cover ablaze with deep oranges and reds as Soi Fon and Logan walk silently next to each other. Nobody would accuse the hairy mutant of being patient and so the silence that hangs in the air is deafening to him! He lets out a frustrated growl and begins to concede defeat just as the captain of squad two starts to speak. Wolverine sighs and the soul reaper clears her throat.

**Wolverine:** 'Go ahead, darlin', say what ya were gonna say.'

**Soi Fon:** '... Why are you always so casual? Anyone else I know, who knew they were going to be put to work, would've never come willingly. In most cases, I would have to threaten them with the possibility of death if they chose to go against me.'

Logan shrugs his shoulders.

**Wolverine:** 'Can't say fer sure, but if loosin' our bet lets me spend a little more time with ya, then so be it.'

At his statement, the small captain's eyes go wide and then soften. She tries to hide her blush with a confident sneer as she re-composes herself.

**Soi Fon: **'I may just have to threaten **you **with death if you keep speaking to me like that.'

The mutant grins.

**Wolverine:** 'Didn't I tell ya? Yer sting **did **kill me.'

This makes the captain stop and position herself in Logan's way, making him come to a stop as well.

**Soi Fon: **'All those days ago? But you're here and without any sign of Suzemebachi's poison.'

**Wolverine: **'My heart stopped fer 'bout a minute. When I fell? I was dead.'

Soi Fon looks away from her mutant companion and brings her left hand up to rub her right arm unconsciously.

**Soi Fon:** '... When I first tracked you coming out of the forest, I wanted nothing more than to take your life. Everything about you; from how you addressed me to how you moved, sickened me. You were an intruder in my domain and you needed to be dealt with.'

Logan remains silent as the proud warrior recalls their first encounter.

**Soi Fon: **'After engaging you in combat, I ignored my gut which said you were not fighting me as hard as someone who wanted to invade would have. Towards the end, my feelings changed. I didn't want to destroy you, but I knew because of my mission, I had no other choice.'

She frowns and tries to hide her emotions under her chin-length mane.

**Soi Fon:** 'After you entered the head captain's meeting with no mark to show from our struggle, I was outraged but also a little glad that you somehow survived.'

The mutant and captain stand silently a foot apart in a deserted corridor of squad two as the Sun lowers itself behind the tall buildings of Sei Rei Tei. Logan takes this moment and quickly closes the minimal distance between the two of them and lifts the female's chin up as he plants a passionate kiss directly onto her lips! With his accute senses, he immediately takes in everything that happens within that moment. Before he closes his eyes, he sees her shock and chuckles mentally. He feels her soft lips. He hears her breath catch in her throat. He tastes her surprise and passion in her saliva. He inhales her scent that he's become so accustomed to over these last several days. In reality, his stolen kiss only lasts for a moment, but for Logan and his mutant senses, it may as well have lasted several minutes. As he separates from the lithe woman in front of him, she just stands there; body ridgid and with her head down. Logan doesn't see her hand come up, but he does feel it as it catches him on the side of his face and sends him flying into the corridor wall several feet away! The force of the blow embeds his hairy body into the wall as dust and debris conceal his form. Before she flash steps away, Soi Fon cooly says;

**Soi Fon: **'I expect my barracks to be **spotless **when I inspect them in the morning... **mongrel**.'

Now alone, Logan coughs and sputters as he removes himself from the wall. He wipes his mouth and smiles to himself before slowly walking to the stealth commander's barracks.

The green goliath walks out of Sei Rei Tei as the Sun sinks into the horizon. He has no particular place in mind as he wanders aimlessly into a dense forest. The disappearing light source casts long shadows from the trees and onto the ground. After walking for several more minutes, Hulk steps out of the tree-line and comes across an open space that has a small stream running through the middle. As he looks around and begins to feel the quiet of his surroundings, he sighs. The grass under his large green feet is lush and soft as it blows gently in the wind. The mammoth sits down and lays out on his back. He stretches his enormous arms out as he looks up at the slowly appearing stars in the violet twilight. His breathing starts to become heavy as his eyeslids slowly close for what should be a restful night's sleep. Before Hulk closes his eyes for the night, he hears a soft tinkling of bells not too far from his position. His emerald eyes snap open as he sits up to look for the sound. Suddenly, a deep chuckle comes from the tree-line on the other side of the stream.

**Kenpachi:** 'Man, yer a tough man ta track down.'

Hulk looks across the water and sees the captain of the eleventh squad leaning against a tree with his arms folded across his chiseled chest. Zaraki's haori and kimono top are missing and his mid-section is covered in white bandages. The jade giant gets to his feet and rolls his neck.

**Hulk:** 'When did you wake up? I thought you were gonna use the excuse of Thanos beating the hell out of you to get out of our final fight.'

The spikey-haired soul reaper grins madly, making his uncovered eye gleam in the low light.

**Kenpachi:** 'He didn't fight too fair, but I would've felt bad cuttin' him down without him havin' a proper weapon to fight with.'

**Hulk:** 'Why was he able to get into your head like that? I thought a soul reaper's zanpakutou is supposed protect against stuff like that.'

Zaraki lifts himself off of the tree and takes a few steps forward.

**Kenpachi:** 'I never learned my zanpakutou's name. I rely on nothin' but my own strength; my sword's just a **tool **fer me ta use in battle.'

**Hulk:** 'I get that.'

He flexes his large chest to drive home his point.

**Hulk: **'Are you here to take me up on the offer I made you while you were laying in the hospital?'

**Kenpachi:** 'I'm here ta settle our score, yeah. The way I see it, our first battle was interrupted and the second time we tangled ya weren't yerself. This here'll be the **final **test of each other's strength.'

**Hulk:** 'I'm not gonna hold back on you. If you make me angry, I'll get stronger. You won't like me when I'm angry.'

The captain grins at Hulk's statement as he draws his worn-down sword.

**Kenpachi: **'I want this fight ta be as long as possible! If what I hear is right, yer goin' home tomorrow and if the great archive's gonna record yer final day here, I want all of soul society ta know how **strong **ya are!'

Hulk clenches his fists as the battle-hungry captain sprints from his position, causing patches of grass to upend in his wake. Hulk begins to run towards his opponent and his footfalls shake the very trees around the area! Birds that have settled in for the night squak and chirp as they leave their perches in distress as the two titans clash in the middle of the stream!

Meanwhile, Dr. Strange reappears on top of the tallest building in Sei Rei Tei. He looks out into the steadily approaching darkness and sees the whole of this soul filled world. Many buildings within the confines of Sei Rei Tei have made the transition from day to night as lights are turned on from within. He looks out into the Rukon District and sees the same thing happening to the homes there. The mystic sighs and lets his arms fall freely at his sides. Moments later he levitates himself and crosses his legs as he begins to meditate. After a minute, he opens his eyes and tilts his head as he looks down at his gloved hands. From his floating position, he holds out his right hand and says;

**Dr. Strange:** 'Way of binding, number four; crawling rope.'

Nothing happens and after a few seconds of leaving his arm outstretched, the mystic brings his hand up to his face.

**Dr. Strange: **'I see. My **repentance **begins before I will leave this world.'

Stephen sighs again and closes his eyes as he centers himself. He blocks out everything around him as he meditates on all that has happened.

As Logan makes it to the barracks of squad two, he smells the faint scent of fried rice crackers and hears the crinkling of a paper bag. When he rounds a corner, he sees the one responsible for the noise and smell. Sitting on the wooden steps and leaning lazily against a support beam is Soi Fon's large lieutenant, Marechiyo Omaeda. As the short mutant approaches, the soul reaper looks up from his bag of snacks and snorts.

**Marechiyo: **'You finally showed up. What took you so long? When Captain Soi Fon gives you an order, you get to it right away!'

Logan squints at the pompous lieutenant.

**Wolverine: **'Like yer doin'? Soi told me that ya'd be already sweepin' this place.'

Omaeda hastily gets up from his position upon the steps and walks over to the shorter man.

**Marechiyo: **'"Soi"? How many times do I got to tell you? It's "Captain Soi Fon"! Besides, I was waiting on you to get here. My captain gave me orders to make sure when you got here to "work you until you bleed.". She then said, "When you heal, make you bleed some more.".'

**Wolverine:** 'Is that right?'

**Marechiyo:** 'You must've really made her mad to have her want to treat you like that. When I screw up, she usually only beats me a little.'

**Wolverine:** 'Ya can say I pissed her off a bit.'

The balding soul reaper continues to eat his rice crackers as curiousity gets the better of him.

**Marechiyo:** 'So, what'd you do?'

The mutant chuckles as he recalls his and the captain's last interaction.

**Wolverine:** 'I kissed her.'

With those three words, Omaeda's eyes go wide and he stops stuffing his face in mid-motion as his entire body freezes with shock! The lieutenant quickly recovers and practically yells.

**Marechiyo:** 'What? Y-you're lying! You're still alive; if you did what you say, then you should be dead!'

**Wolverine: **'Well I'm here ain't I? Like I told ya before; she likes me better'n ya.'

As Logan continues to antagonize the hefty man, Marechiyo's face becomes red with rage. He huffs a couple of times before calming down slightly as the feral mutant casually walks past him to pick up a broom that is propped up against the railing of the barracks. Without looking back, Logan says;

**Wolverine:** 'Ya got **crumbs **on yer shihakusho, bub.'

The mutant turns, after he picks up two brooms, and sees Omaeda look down at his kimono and quickly brushes off his chest and large purple collar that flares out from under his garment. Not waiting to see if the large man is ready, Wolverine tosses him the spare broom and then begins to sweep. Marechiyo drops his bag of crackers as he fumbles with catching the cleaning tool and to his credit, Logan notices that the man doesn't drop it.

The next morning, Betsy slowly opens her eyes to the sound of birds chirping outside of Shuuhei's quarters. She rolls over and pats the empty space next to her. Her hand may only grip sheet, but the mutant telepath can still feel the warmth of the recently departed soul reaper. She sits up and stretches as she tussles the sleep out of her hair. After she gets dressed, she mentally searches for the tattooed lieutenant of the ninth squad. She soon finds his mental signature and sets off to see what he's up to.

Bruce Banner wakes up to a scene of unbelievable destruction that it is spread out all around him. Still slightly disoriented from sleep and his transformation, only bits and pieces of last night are clear to him. He puts his hand on the tree that supports his form and instead of feeling the expected rough bark, he feels splintered fragments. He gets up and looks at his resting spot and his eyes go wide with disbelief! The brilliant man can tell that the tree was enormous just by the size of the broken trunk. The elder tree's radius is at least twelve feet in diameter but that didn't matter to whoever snapped the tree in half! Bruce slowly turns 360 degrees as he takes in the bedlam around him. From his murky memory, he recalls a stream that flowed through this area. In its place are several muddy craters and slowly flowing water that trickles from an unseen location deep with in the untouched bamboo forest. Every tree and bush in a mile radius has been uprooted and torn asunder. The beautiful, lush green scenery that Banner remembers is now dark and muddy. He frowns as he takes everything in and closes his eyes. He clenches his fists and turns his thoughts inward as he converses with his alter ego. _Was this really necessary? All of this wanton destruction? _The green goliath grumbles back his annoyance with Banner's chastising. _Don't come in here with your pasifism. Kenpachi was itching for a good fight; I gave it to him. _Bruce sighs and comes out of his revery with his inner demon. The brown-haired man sighs and begins to walk back towards Sei Rei Tei, shirtless and bare footed.

Logan grimaces in the state of half-sleep he finds himself in. His heightened hearing picks up on the faint beating of dust covered wings as he rolls over and tries to ignore the insect. The sound of beating air becomes increasingly louder as the Hell Butterfly hovers extremely close to the mutant's ear. His grimace gives way to an annoyed growl as he attempts to swat the creature away from him. The Jigokucho deftly avoids the lazy swing as it attempts again to deliver its message. Logan huffs and sits up as the small messanger lands gently on Wolverine's finger. No sooner does the insect make contact with Logan's hairy index finger does he hear what the butterfly has to tell him. A telepathic summons from the captain of squad two makes the mutant smirk and groan at the same time! _Logan; meet me in my office immediately. That is all. _After doing its job, the insect lifts off of its perch and floats out of sight. Logan watches it leave before putting his bare feet onto the wooden flooring. He glares at a window that allows the bright moring Sun to infiltrate his room as he rubs the back of his neck. He gets up and throws on his kimono before heading down the hall to Soi Fon's office.

**Last night.**

After deciding to join the captain of the eighth squad for drinks and merriment, Thor is surprised to see Rangiku Matsumoto at the same establishment. She is with a few other soul reapers that the thunderer recognizes from Hulk's descriptions as Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa, Tetsuzaimon Iba and Renji Abarai. His blue eyes are surprised to see the last member of their group; the blonde lieutenant of the third squad, Kira Izuru! The large group quickly joins the captain and god for drinks and the small get-together turns into an all night party! The troubles and worries of the war with Thanos quickly became a topic of jokes and laughter as more and more alcohol is consumed. Not until the moon is high over-head does the party begin to die down. Renji and Tetsuzaimon leave first, followed soon after by Ikkaku and Yumichika. After seeing the effects of several sake jugs take affect to the two other lieutenants, Thor offers his thanks to the hatted captain and escorts the man and woman out of the restaurant. The cool night air has no effect on the two as they cling drunkenly to the god's mid-section. He smirks at their lack of control and effortlessly aids them in staying vertical. As he walks with the two, Thor realizes that he's never been to the third squad and doesn't know exactly where to go.

**Thor:** 'Kira Izuru; I concede in not knowing where thou resides. Wouldst thou tell me where to go?'

The soul reaper looks drunkenly up at his crutch and mumbles something incoherent. At this, Rangiku joyfully says;

**Rangiku:** 'Don't worry! He cansh stay withsh me; in factsh, let's all sleepsh together!'

If it wasn't for the god's strong grip, the lieutenant of the tenth squad would have twirled away from his arm and fell to the ground! Instead, after attempting to spin away, Thor reals her back in under his protective bicep. Not knowing what else to do, he does what the female suggests and heads to the familiar surroundings of the tenth squad barracks. After rolling out two futons, he assists the two soul reapers with relaxing for the remainder of the night. Kira, as soon as his head hits the soft material, falls into a light snore! Rangiku on the other hand, remains in an upright possition while smiling for no particular reason. Her face is extremely red and she sways from side to side. Thor smiles at her before moving to the doorway.

**Rangiku:** 'Do you really have to go?'

**Thor: **'Tis true. Get some rest, fair lady, fort I wouldst not want to miss yon beauty as I leave.'

The woman hiccups and nods before the thunderer exits the room and shuts the door behind him.

**The Present.**

Thor moves quietly in the small room that he has temporarily borrowed from Captain Kyoraku. The sunlight of the morning glints off of his armor that hangs on the back of a chair in the room. The thunderer stand shirtless in his room as he looks down at the armor that Captain Kuchiki had fashioned for him. He silently moves his eyes over the glistening metal; admiring the fine craftsmanship and solid construction of the impressive chainmail. Deciding on what to do, the blonde god puts on his Asgardian tunic, and fastens Mjolnir at his side before picking up the lightweight armor and heading out the door.

Dr. Strange comes out of his trance and as soon as he puts his feet down onto the roof of the white tower, he disappears. When the sorcerer reappears, he is in front of the doors to the head captain's meeting room. After knocking, he is invited in by the powerful elder soul reaper. Genryusai looks up from the stack of paper on his desk and nods a greeting to Stephen.

**Yamamoto:** 'Good morning, Stephen-san. Was your night restful?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I afforded myself the luxury of a meditative trance. It is not quite sleep, but it does allow me to replenish my energy.'

The head captain doesn't say anything to this, but Strange can almost see his thick, white mustache twitch with a smile.

**Yamamoto:** 'I am sure you are eager to get back to your world and daily lives. I have squad thirteen captain, Jushiro Ukitake preparing the main Senkaimon for you and your allies' departure. When it is complete, he will report to me and I will send out an invitation to all that would like to see you off.'

At this, the mystic nods and then bows before turning to leave the elder's presence. Once the doors to the meeting room close, Dr. Strange closes his eyes and picks up on the white-haired captain's soul signature. No sound is made as the sorcerer disappears from the first squad.

Psylocke walks into a very busy room located in the ninth squad's jurisdiction. A few soul reapers manage to ignore her as they go about their work, but there are others who stop what they're doing to stare at her as she walks by. Her smile makes them blush and they hastily return to their work. Because of his thoughts, the mutant easily finds Shuuhei in the back of the multi-roomed building. He is looking over what appears to be a newspaper while at the same time, directing two more soul reapers.

**Shuuhei: **'Because of everything that's happened lately, we're really behind. We'll each have to pull double shifts if we're going to get this edition out on time.'

She smiles at how hard he's working and walks up behind him. She gently moves her hands up to his shoulders and begins to massage them. The lieutenant immediately stiffens before relaxing as he figures out who is touching him. Hisagi grabs her right hand with his as he turns around to look at the purple-haired beauty.

**Shuuhei:** 'Hey. Sorry I left before you woke up this morning. I've got to work fast if we expect the news to see print today.'

**Psylocke:** 'It's no problem really; I do 'ope you come see me off when we're finally ready to leave.'

The tattooed reaper closes his eyes and smiles.

**Shuuhei:** 'I'll be there.'

Betsy smiles and kisses him on the cheek before leaving him to his work.

Wolverine walks up to the entrance to Soi Fon's office and knocks on the door using his knuckles. The voice of the captain can be heard as she says;

**Soi Fon:** 'Enter.'

The feral mutant slides the door open and steps into the reletively empty room. Across from him, sitting behind her desk, is the twin-tailed lithe stealth force commander. She stops what she's doing and interlaces her fingers together as she rests her chin on top of them. Logan folds his arms and stares back at the soul reaper as he waits for her to say something.

**Soi Fon: **'You and that oafish **baffoon **of a lieutenant did an acceptable job last night.'

She gestures for him to sit in the chair across from her. Logan smirks before walking over and sitting down.

**Soi Fon:** 'The day that you leave has finally arrived. Are you sad?'

**Wolverine:** '"**Sad**"?'

**Soi Fon:** 'You have grown accustomed to this place and our ways, have you not? I would assume that to leave would cause one's feelings to be of regret.'

**Wolverine:** 'Darlin', I ain't regreted nothin' in my life. 'Sides, I'm not gonna remember anythin' 'bout my time here anyway, **right**?'

**Soi Fon:** '"Nothing"?'

**Wolverine**: 'Nothin' I wanna get inta right now.'

**Soi Fon:** 'I see.'

Logan sighs, becoming impatient with what he considers to be pointless questions.

**Wolverine:** 'Look darlin', I know we ain't really seen eye ta eye since I got here, but if this's all ya wanted, then I'm gonna get ready ta head out.'

The mutant stands up and the captain slams her hands on the table while looking down to conceal her expression. Her sudden movement makes Logan pause and Soi Fon closes the distance between them with incredible speed. Before he knows it, the small captain is only inches from his face with a look of murder in her eyes! As he attempts to prepare a defense for her close proximity, the soul reaper grabs his face, intertwining her small fingers into his mutton chops, and crushes her lips onto his! Wolverine's shock quickly turns into a passionate ferocity, as he moves his right hand up into the raven hair that is at the base of her skull. His left hand grips her waist and pulls her into him as he strengthens their embrace! When he stole the kiss last night, he had to quickly absorb her before she rejected him. This time, however, he knows this kiss is on her terms and he can truly savor it. Everything about the lithe woman screams confrontation and in this moment, that doesn't change. The mutant senses that at her core, Soi Fon struggles with her current actions but he doesn't care as he looses himself to what he knew was in her all along. After several minutes, the captain breaks their embrace and slowly untangles herself from the feral man. Breathing heavily, she manages to pant out;

**Soi Fon:** 'I... will be glad... not to remember this moment. I won't have to... suffer embarassment at the thought of my temporary loss of control.'

Before she looks away entirely, the captain blushes even deeper as she adds;

**Soi Fon:** 'You are **truly **an animal, Logan. Leave me and forget.'

The mutant smirks as he licks the taste of her from his lips. Before he leaves, he sees her bring her hand up to her mouth in remembrance of their encounter.

Thor's descision to seek out the noble and captain of the sixth squad is, to him, a natural one. At first, the thunderer found Byakuya Kuchiki standoffish and arrogant. But now, he feels that he understands the burden that the soul reaper carries a little better. The blonde god stands just outside of the captain's office and calls out;

**Thor:** 'Captain Byakuya Kuchiki; art thou available to speak with me? It is Thor.'

There is a momentary pause before the noble's calm voice is heard.

**Byakuya:** 'Come.'

Odin's Son slides the door open and closes it after stepping through. He finds the captain not at his desk, but off to the side and kneeling with his back turned from the door. Thor can see incense burning on a shelf to the left of the soul reaper. The raven-haired noble appears to be writing something on a piece of paper that is on top of a small table that he's positioned in front of. The Asgardian takes a step forward before saying;

**Thor:** 'Mine apologies fort interrupting yon duties.'

**Byakuya: **'This is not a duty. I simply want my own account of what has transpired here over the last week.'

**Thor:** 'Yon sentiments art exactly why I am here.'

Kuchiki turns at the sound of shifting metal and sees the armor that the god holds in his hands.

**Byakuya:** 'Mm?'

**Thor: **'This armor be strong, but tis constructed of spirit particles. If I were to travel back to the world of the living with this, it wouldst surely be lost whenst I return to my body. There wouldst be no record of the magnificent craftsmanship of this piece and Odin's Son canst stand fort that.'

At this, the captain closes his eyes and regally stands up to walk over to the much taller man. He takes the armor from Thor and places it over the chair that is behind his desk.

**Thor: **'What wilt thou do with it?'

**Byakuya: **'The size of the armor will raise unanswerable questions if left out in the open. I will store it in the Kuchiki manor's vault for safe keeping.'

The god nods.

**Thor:** 'Fare thee well, Captain Kuchiki. Twas an honor to hath met and fought along side you.'

The soul reaper pauses before looking up.

**Byakuya:** '... Likewise, god of thunder.'

Thor proudly turns around and heads out the way that he had come.

After walking for quite some time, Bruce Banner stops to rest under a large tree just outside of Sei Rei Tei. He looks down at his muddy and bruised feet and sighs. _I'm not the one who usually walks around without any shoes on. If I wasn't still so mad at Hulk for his base need for destruction, I'd transform and he could do the rest of the work. _The scientist wipes the sweat from his forehead before looking up into the sky at the Sun. After averting his gaze from the blazing orb, he concentrates all of his thoughts onto a single person. _Psylocke, can you hear me? _A moment passes before he feels the woman's thoughts in his mind. _Bruce? Is everything all right? _Betsy can tell that he is frustrated with his current situation as she listens to his reply. _I'm just ready to go home. Have you heard any word from Stephen about our departure time? _She doesn't find any humor in his current situation, but she smirks nonetheless. _I'll see where 'e is and maybe 'e can save you some walking time. _Bruce nods his thanks and then feels the mutant telapath leave his mind.

Dr. Strange steps out of his teleportation spell within a few yards of several soul reapers of the kido corps. Stephen assumes that they're putting the finishing touches on the preparation of the large gate that stands before the captain of squad thirteen. The area surrounding the large Senkaimon is well maintained, with large slabs of polished stone laid out under foot. Many great pillars surround the area in a semi circle and the whole place looks very formal. As the mystic touches down on the polished stone, the white-haired captain turns to greet him.

**Jushiro:** 'Good morning, Stephen-san. We're making final preparations for your group's departure.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Thank you, Captain Ukitake.'

The sorcerer looks down at the soul reaper's hands and sees that they are wrapped in white bandages and Strange recalls the massive amount of energy his zanpakutou tried to absorb before having to ultimately release it into the atmosphere.

At that moment, the mystic feels Psylocke enter his mind. _Stephen? We may 'ave a small problem. _Dr. Strange can sense both amusement and concern in the female's thoughts as he replies. _What are you referring too, Betsy? _She thinks back; _Bruce just contacted me and 'e seems a little put off at the moment with his alter ego. I told 'im I'd get in touch with you to see 'ow you can 'elp 'im. _Dr. Strange nods mentally as the mutant severs their link. The mystic turns his back on the soul reapers and reaches out with his powers to find Bruce Banner. Once he locates him, the sorcerer sends out a thought to the telepathic ninja. _I have opened a portal for Bruce that will lead him straight to me. Please inform him of this. _The mutant doesn't respond, but within moments, Bruce appears out of thin air next to Strange. The mystic looks over at his now human teammate and Banner looks back at him with a troubled expression.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I will not question why you will not let Hulk out, Doctor Banner.'

**Bruce:** '... It's stupid really. Last night Hulk went out into the woods to sleep, but he found that the blood-thirsty captain of the eleventh squad, Kenpachi Zaraki, was waiting on him. The area was peaceful and Hulk had no real intention of destroying that place.'

The sorcerer continues to listen to the scientist as he tries to work through his conflicted emotions.

**Bruce:** 'It wasn't until he was goaded into fighting that he helped lay absolute waste to the entire area! I can't allow Zaraki to manipulate Hulk like that anymore.'

Dr. Strange can think of many things to say to the Doctor at the moment, but chooses to remain silent as he senses the cause of Bruce's agitation slowly approach.

Within minutes after the conversation ends between the two, the large spikey-haired captain can be seen making his way towards the area with the large Senkaimon. As Bruce sees the wild soul reaper approach, he mutters under his breath;

**Bruce:** 'Not now...'

Captain Zaraki is accompanied by his third and fifth seats and they all have expectant looks on their faces. As they get closer, Stephen notices that Kenpachi's left eye is black and blue with a great deal of swelling. His left arm is out of his kimono sleeve and wrapped in a sling that is secured to his chest as if it were dislocated or broken at the shoulder. Dr. Strange casually steps in front of Bruce as if to conceal him from view when the three men stop a few feet away.

**Kenpachi:** 'Where's Hulk? I wanna congratulate him on givin' me one hell of a fight last night.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'He is not here. I am afraid you have made this journey in vain, Captain Zaraki.'

The captain looks down at the smaller man as if noticing him for the first time.

**Kenpachi:** 'What? That little man behind ya can bring him out anytime he wants.'

At this, Bruce puts his hand on his ally's shoulder as he steps out from Stephen's shadow.

**Bruce:** 'You and Hulk leveled an **entire **forest just so you could have one last **fight**.'

**Kenpachi:** 'Yeah, what's yer point?'

**Bruce:** 'I've witnessed untold destruction on a near daily basis because of the monster that rages inside me! For **once**, he found an ounce of peace and you took it away from him!'

The captain rolls his eye while scractching the inside of his ear with his pinky. Ikkaku and Yumichika share a look of boredom at what they've come to find here. Just then, the pink-haired lieutenant of squad eleven pops up over her captain's right shoulder with a smile on her face.

**Yachiru:** 'C'mon, skinny, Green Green makes Kenny happy! You don't wanna make Kenny sad, do you?'

The face the girl makes is almost too much for the scientist to bare and he looks away so that he doesn't cave to her large, sad eyes.

**Bruce:** '... I'm sorry. You may accept my inner beast, but I've had to live with him for years. He's more dangerous than any of you realize.'

After a minute more of silence, Kenpachi sighs as he turns around.

**Kenpachi:** 'Whatever. Yer too high an' mighty fer my tastes anyway. I don't know how big green puts up with ya. I'm outta here.'

As the two men watch the quartet fade into the distance, Psylocke comes out of a flash step to appear before them.

**Psylocke:** 'I don't know what you did to that Zaraki, but 'is thoughts were all over the place!'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Bruce gave the captain a piece of his mind.'

**Psylocke:** 'Good for you Doctor Banner.'

**Bruce:** 'That captain is terrifying. I think I'd rather face Red Hulk fifty times over than to confront Kenpachi alone.'

As the three share a small laugh, the head captain and his lieutenant are seen walking up the same path that Kenpachi and his squad did. The two soul reapers acknowledge the heroes briefly before making their way to where Captain Ukitake is. Shortly after the soul reaper's arrival, Dr. Strange turns towards Betsy and says;

**Dr. Strange:** 'I believe it is time to gather the rest of our team.'

**Psylocke:** 'Right. I'll contact Thor and Logan.'

Psylocke reaches out with her mind and searches for the thunderer first. She soon finds him soaring through the air using Mjolnir as his guide. _I don't want to disturb you Thor, but I think it's just about time to go. _She waits as he thinks back his reply. _Yon presence in mine mind be not an intrusion, fair Psylocke. I wilt alter course and head to yon position. _She leaves his mind and sets her thoughts on her teammate, Wolverine. As she gets a lock on his whereabouts, she raises her eyebrows in surprise at his thoughts. As she re-compsoses herself to tell him what everyone's plans are, she is interupted by the hairy mutant. _Nothin' too serious happened, darlin'. Ya just caught me relivin' the kiss I got from Soi Fon. _She mentally shakes her head and responds. _When you can, 'ead to the place that you're seeing in your mind. O' and Logan? Don't worry, I won't ask 'ow it all 'appened. _He smirks his reply; _good, cause I didn't wanna kiss an' tell. _She smiles at this as she leaves the man's mind.

As Psylocke mentally returns to her teammates at the Senkaimon, she senses both the captain and lieutenant of the tenth squad before the come out of their flash step. As Rangiku touches down she begins to whine at her captain who arrived seconds before she did.

**Rangiku:** 'Captain, we almost missed them leaving!'

**Toshiro:** 'We wouldn't have even been **this **late if you would've woke up earlier. Besides, didn't you say your goodbyes last night?'

**Rangiku: **'I think? I don't really remember...'

The boy captain sighs in frustration as he folds his arms into the sleeves of his kimono.

As the two get settled, Sajin Komamura comes into view as he travels the stone tiles. He looks to Dr. Strange as he says;

**Sajin:** 'Even though we have not had many times to interact, I felt it necessary to see you and your allies off.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Your presence is very much welcomed, Captain Komamura.'

The fox nods his large head before walking over to stand next to the head captain.

The sound of whooshing air signals the arrival of the god of thunder as he touches down next to Banner and Strange. As he straps his hammer to his belt, he is nearly pounced upon by the large-breasted tenth squad lieutenant!

**Rangiku: **'There you are! I was worried that you had left without saying goodbye!'

With his amazing hearing, it's easy for the Asgardian to pick up on what Hitsugaya says annoyingly under his breath.

**Toshiro: **'Do you really think the rest of his team would leave without him? Sometimes, Rangiku, I wonder about you...'

Thor smiles at what the boy-captain says before addressing the woman in front of him.

**Thor:** 'It twud be a shame if I left without saying farewell to one such as beautiful as yonself.'

The blonde soul reaper blushes as she sighs. When she wraps her arm around his bare bicep, she looks down with surprise.

**Rangiku:** 'Your muscles are even bigger without your armor! Where is it anyway?'

**Thor:** 'Mine original armor was damaged whenst first arriving in yon world by thy very skilled young captain.'

He nods respectively over to where Toshiro stands with his back turned to the two.

**Rangiku:** 'Captain!'

The captain's shoulders rise into his neck in agitation as he grumbles without turning around.

**Toshiro:** 'You were informed about our fight when I debriefed you on it!'

The lieutenant calms down and puts her finger to her mouth contemplatively.

**Rangiku:** 'Oh, I remember now. Still, I don't see why you had to fight this hunk in the **first **place!'

**Thor: **'Tis alright, fair Rangiku; if our positions were reversed and I saw him as an "intruder" in Asgard, I twud hath acted with haste as well.'

**Toshiro:** 'Stop talking about me like I'm not even **here**!'

The two look at the irritated white-haired boy who has finally turned around.

**Thor:** 'Mine **apologies**, young captain; mine intention was not to offend thee.'

**Rangiku:** 'He's not offended, he just doesn't know how to give a proper goodbye.'

At this, Toshiro calms down as he refolds his arms into his kimono.

**Toshiro: **'I can't deny your strength **or **fighting ability. You and I worked extremely well together in our war with Thanos. Hyorinmaru will miss the way you can create moisture in the atmosphere with Mjolnir.'

With this revelation, Thor lets go of Rangiku's arm and walks over to the small soul reaper. He puts a firm hand on Hitsugaya's shoulder and smiles.

**Thor: **'It tis I who will miss yon companionship. You taught me how to commune with the spirit of Mjolnir if only fort a brief time. Fort that alone, Odin's Son tis more than greatful.'

He removes his hand from the captain's shoulder after he gives it a firm pat that makes Toshiro scowl. As the god turns his back on the youth, Psylocke sees Hitsugaya's expression turn from the frown into a slight smile. She catches his stray surface thoughts as he turns to walk towards the head captain. _Certainly a powerful ally indeed. _Suddenly, a wise and powerful voice echoes over the boy's thoughts. _I will not remove you by force, Psylocke, but do not intrude any further into my master's thoughts._ Psylocke blinks back surprise and slowly exits the soul reaper's mind. She touches her right temple as she whispers;

**Psylocke:** 'Hyorinmaru...'

Dr. Strange raises an eyebrow at the mutant's voice.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Mm?'

**Psylocke:** 'It's nothing to worry about, Stephen; just a minor psychic backlash.'

The mystic nods and wraps his cape around his body as he waits for Logan to arrive.

Instead of their feral mutant ally however, they are greeted by Shuuhei Hisagi who comes out of his flash step right beside the female telepath. As if she was waiting for him, Betsy intertwines her arm with his and smiles warmly at him.

**Psylocke:** 'I was wondering when you were going to show up.'

**Shuuhei:** 'This edition of Sei Rei Tei Communication took a little longer than expected, but we put it together smoothly. I want to report to Head-Captain Yamamoto before you leave.'

**Psylocke:** 'If Logan doesn't hurry up, we may stay another day.'

She winks at him as he gently pulls away from her. After a moment, Jushiro Ukitake approaches the heroes and says;

**Jushiro:** 'The Senkaimon that will take you back to the world of the living is ready to go. Where is Logan-san?'

The captain surveys the group and frowns.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Our friend, Wolverine, has issues with authority. He always seems to come through in the end however.'

**Ukitake: **'I see.'

Just then, Logan comes out of a flash step as well and looks around at the gathered forces waiting on him.

**Wolverine: **'What? Were ya guys waitin' on me?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I believe that we are all in agreement that it would not hurt for you to be slightly less cavalier about our impact upon this world.'

**Wolverine:** 'Relax, doc; don't go gettin' yer panties in a bunch. I'm her now, so let's do this.'

The captain of squad thirteen looks quizzically at the shorter man before smirking at his casual pattern of speech.

**Jushiro:** 'If you'll all follow me, Genryusai-dono would like to leave you with a few parting words.'

The group heads over to where the captain's of squad one, seven and ten are. Ukitake takes his place next to Sajin and stands quietly to wait for the head captain, while Rangiku parts ways with Thor and stands next to the lieutenant of the ninth squad. As everyone takes their places, Yamamoto surveys the gathered heroes.

**Yamamoto:** 'These departing words may seem inconsequential due to what will happen when you re-enter your universe, but we as soul reapers still have the need to say them.'

Stephen nods his understanding and Logan frowns as the final moments of their time here draws near.

**Yamamoto:** 'We have taken every measure to make sure that your time and experience here will not be forgotten. The Thirteen Court Gaurd Squads are greatful to all of you for your assistance in defeating Thanos. Because of you five, we are now aware of the possibility of other dimensions and the strength they may possess.'

With his speech seemingly over, two of the soul reapers who were preparing the portal place their hands on either side and a bright light soon emanates from the opening. As the heroes watch, five black butterflies emerge from the Senkaimon and hover around each of them. Wolverine smirks as he tries to wave his away.

**Yamamoto: **'The Hell Butterfly will assist each of you in returning to the world of the living. As you are aware, the Dangai is a perilous border dimension, but with these creatures, you will not be in any danger.'

Banner sighs audibly and Betsy picks up his thoughts. _It's a good thing too; any unwanted agitation and I might unleash Hulk. _She doesn't say anything to him as she thinks it best to save her questions for later. After the head captain finishes, he nods his head and taps his cane onto the stoned walk way. The other captains blow slightly to the heroes and Rangiku runs back up to Thor for one final goodbye.

**Rangiku:** 'I'd say don't forget to write, but it seems a little too ironic, even for me.'

**Thor:** 'If there be any way I could prevent my memories from being erased, I wouldst surely do it. Take comfort in this small fact.'

She hugs him before stepping away. As she does, she intentionally lets her blonde locks conceal her face to hide her expression. The thunder then pats Toshiro on the shoulder again, which makes the small captain sway from the force.

**Thor:** 'Captain Hitsugaya; tis been a pleasure meeting you. Perhaps there may cometh a day whenst we wilt require yon aide in our universe. Until then, fare thee well.'

**Toshiro: **'Yeah, thanks... thank you.'

Komamura bows to the group and as Bruce begins to walk past the insanely large fox captain, Sajin stops his movements with his large gloved hand.

**Sajin:** 'Forgive me. I have heard the rumors that the large green man resides in your form. Seeing you here and not him, only seems to confirm these rumors.'

**Bruce: **'... It's true. That monster does live within me.'

**Sajin:** 'You say that he is a monster, but many soul reapers here, myself included, respect his power.'

**Bruce:** 'Even after he leveled an entire forest for no other reason than because he got into a fight?'

**Sajin:** 'You carry too much of the burden for Hulk-san's strength. I felt Captain Zaraki's spiritual pressure when he was fighting. That man also aided in the destruction of that forest. Would it be terrible to let your other self out to say his goodbye?'

**Bruce:** 'I'm sorry Captain Komamura; I think you mean well, but I can't let him out here anymore. I can't risk it.'

The fox closes his eyes.

**Sajin:** 'Very well. If you communicate with him, give him our regards.'

The captain of squad seven walks off without another word.

Shuuhei has rejoined Betsy and she smiles at him.

**Shuuhei:** 'I'm going to miss you.'

**Psylocke:** 'No you won't, love. Soon, I'll be a distant memory.'

The soul reaper frowns but notices that the mutant has a smile on her face.

**Psylocke: **'Don't brood over this. Even if we won't remember our time together, it doesn't mean it didn't 'appen.'

**Shuuhei: **'You're right, but - '

**Psylocke: **'No buts.'

She puts a finger up to his mouth before removing it to kiss him deeply.

Logan walks past the two lovebirds until he gets to the small boy that Thor had just parted with.

**Wolverine:** 'See ya **kid**.'

**Toshiro: **'**Captain Hitsugaya**.'

**Wolverine: **'I know; I just wanted to see yer reaction.'

The feral mutant bares his canines as he grins and walks away before the captain can respond. He then walks up to the captain of the thirteenth squad.

**Wolverine:** 'Make sure ya keep that Kyoraku in line fer me.'

**Jushiro:** 'I'll try, but you know that he does what he pleases sometimes.'

**Wolverine:** 'Yer right. Jushiro; it's been a pleasure.'

The man known simply as Logan bows deeply to the white-haired captain before parting ways. Ukitake returns the favor by bowing at the waist as well.

As Dr. Strange makes his way through the people gathered, he stops in front of the head captain and bows in respect.

**Dr. Strange: **'Thank you again for everything and allowing us into your world. This has been an adventure I regret to see come to an end.'

**Yamamoto: **'I agree. I would say that you and your allies are welcome to come back anytime, but I know that my invitation will not last beyond these next few days.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'It is alright. I understand and appreciate the sentiment nonetheless.'

The captain moves to the side to allow the mystic to follow the rest of his teammates into the Senkaimon. Stephen takes one last look back as the gate begins to close on them and sees the tenth squad lieutenant throw herself into a surprised Shuuhei's arms and bury her face into his chest.

**Editor's Notes: It's been a while, no? Sorry about that. This story has been my 'baby' for so long and I know that it's coming to an end. I'm guilty of procrastination I suppose. I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Just an FYI and for anyone who is interested, I've set up an account on and my I.D. is icex1982 I'm going to be drawing this story and putting my concepts and pages up on that site. If your curious as to what I've come up with, please check it out! **


	37. Memories No More

**Editor's Notes: Happy Reading!**

**Heroes, Villains and Soul Reapers, Oh My!**

_**A Marvel/Bleach crossover**_

_**By**_

_**David Vincent**_

**Memories No More**

Soon, a bright light appears to signify the exit to the portal. The heroes step through the opening only to find themselves several hundred feet in the air! Seeing the ground rushing up to greet them, Thor takes to the skies as Betsy wraps herself and Logan in a telekinetic net. Dr. Strange simply uses a levitation spell to safely lower himself to the ground. Perhaps it is because the other four heroes were used to having Hulk around, but no one thinks of helping Bruce as he plummets uncontrolably to a small forested area below! They all watch in horror as the panicked man disappears into the tree tops of what looks like a small park. The heroes hear a sickening thud as birds leave the tree tops, squaking their displeasure at being disturbed.

**Psylocke:** 'O' no... Bruce.'

**Wolverine:** 'Why the hell didn't ya **catch **him, doc?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I... did not even think to assist Doctor Banner in descending.'

**Thor:** 'We hath survived a clash with the mighty titan, only to be denied true victory by **this**?'

As the remaining four touch down on the grass, they can see a few onlookers peer into the dust-filled trees beyond. They're arrival doesn't even get a second glance from the people due to them still being in soul form.

**Psylocke:** 'I can't pick up on Bruce's thoughts!'

**Wolverine: **'What're ya'll standin' 'round fer?'

He flash steps to the edge of the wooded area and stops dead in his tracks as he and the others hear a deep familar voice rumble inside the glen.

**Hulk:** 'I shoulda flown first class.'

Logan hears Betsy sigh as she hears Hulk's voice. The curious people's thoughts flood Psylocke's mind as they hear the snapping of limbs as Hulk makes his way out from the cover of the trees. _What was that huge explosion? All kinds of wierd things happen in this town. I hope it wasn't terrorists! _

Wolverine actually smiles as he sees his long-time rival up close and personal again.

**Wolverine:** 'I thought we lost ya fer sure just then.'

**Hulk:** 'Whatever; puny Banner can't keep me locked up forever. He talks a big game, but when his life's threatened, my life's threatened. So I force my way out. Besides that, the guy's a selfish bastard if you ask me. He wouldn't even let Kenpachi give me a proper send off.'

**Wolverine: **'I musta missed that lil' altercation. That woulda been fun ta see.'

The two walk back over to the recovering trio and then set off to find out where they had been dumped off at. After walking past several groups of people; mostly families enjoying a nice cloudless day, they come to a sign that is written entirely in Japanese. Logan steps up and easily translates.

**Wolverine:** 'Looks like we're in "Kararura Community Park" by what the sign says.'

**Hulk:** 'How's that relate to wherever that Urahara guy lives?'

**Wolverine:** 'Ya really think Mr. Hat an' Clog's shop would be listed on a **park **sign? I thought ya were a **genius**.'

**Hulk:** '**Watch** it.'

He adds under his breath;

**Hulk:** 'It's Banner that's the genius, furball.'

**Wolverine:** 'Whatever.'

The two men's bickering ebs as the focus returns to finding out where they are in correlation to Kisuke Urahara's home and shop. Psylocke quickly and silently scans the minds of those around them to try and glean any insight to their whereabouts.

**Psylocke:** 'It looks like we're close to a local school called, "Mashiba". From what I gathered, it's a middle school.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Do you know if anyone in the area has heard of Kisuke's shop?'

**Psylocke:** 'No. Which is not surprising. 'E seems to keep to 'imself.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Agreed.'

As the heroes continue to think of ways to find their way around, Logan speaks up.

**Wolverine: **'While all o' ya sit on yer hands, I'm gonna scout around. I'll keep in touch with Betsy and tell her what I find.'

Before anyone can protest, the feral mutant flash steps away, leaving only a bit of kicked up dried leaves in his wake. Soon after his departure, Thor also speaks up.

**Thor:** 'I agree with the beserker. I wilt fly overhead and map out art location.'

He swings Mjolnir into the air and takes to the skies.

It's simple for Logan to track things or people in an unknown environment. His mind easily recalls the scent of both Urahara and Yoruichi, as well as Ichigo and his friends. After several minutes of high-speed movement and taking in the many different scents around him, the mutant finally picks up on the faint scent of Yoruichi! He thinks;_ gotcha, darlin'. _He stays on the trail until it becomes a little stronger and then thinks to Psylocke; _alright, I've got Yoruichi's scent. Betsy, get a bead on me so when I stop, ya can point the magician in the right direction. _Her reply; _thanks, Logan. _The mutant telepath severs the link with her teammate so that he is able to search without interruption.

Meanwhile, the thunderer's bird's eye view lets him take in the entire town of Karakura. Among the many districts and sections, Thor sees a fairly wide river and a train station that intersect each other as they run through the town. When they first arrived at the former soul reaper's shop, Thor remembers what it looks like from the air when he and his allies battled the many hollow that ambushed them. He uses this memory to find the simple building among the many other buildings around the area.

With every swift movement, the scent of his target gets stronger as it flows through Logan's nostrils. He smiles with anticipation at possibly sneaking up on the former captain of squad two. As he comes out of his most recent flash step atop a telephone pole, he peers across the street and sees Yoruichi on the roof of an adjacent building with his back to him. He smirks as he prepares his next few moves like a lion would when stalking a gazel. He disappears without a sound and appears right behind the cocoa-skinned woman! As he reaches out to touch her, she disappears and reappears behind him! She lightly grazes his jugular as she whispers playfully in his ear.

**Yoruichi: **'Did you really think the Goddess of Flash would be caught so **easily**?'

The mutant smirks and raises his hands in surrender.

**Wolverine:** I had ta **try**, darlin'.'

**Yoruichi:** 'I know. Where's the rest of your team? Kisuke detected a Senkaimon opening a little while ago and I offered to investigate.'

**Wolverine: **'Soul society dropped us **way **off course. We landed in some park a few miles from here. Strange, Betsy and Hulk are waitin' back there 'till me er goldilocks found somethin'. I guess I found ya first.'

As Logan and Yoruichi talk for a few minutes more, Thor spots the grey shingled roof of Urahara's shop. As he alters course to descend to the street below, he thinks his location to Psylocke. _I hath located Kisuke Urahara's place of residence. _The mutant looks through the god's eyes and thinks; _good work Thor; we'll be there shortly. _She severs the connection and informs Dr. Strange of the location that the thunderer had shown her. Within moments, Betsy, Stephen and Hulk all appear out of nowhere and stand next to the god of thunder.

**Dr. Strange:** 'It would appear that you found our destination before Logan.'

**Hulk:** 'Knowing him, he's probably out trying to pick a **fight **with someone.'

**Psylocke:** 'Do you really think 'e's **that **bad, Hulk?'

**Hulk:** 'C'mon. You're his teammate in the X-Men, right? Are you **really **gonna try and defend him?'

The purple-haired ninja pauses and then shrugs in defeat. Hulk huffs in victory before seeing the short man in question appear before the group with the auburn-haired former soul reaper in tow!

**Yoruichi:** 'Looks like you're all here now. Follow me inside; Kisuke's been waiting for you.'

The five heroes follow the toned woman inside the small shop. This time, without a prompt, Thor takes off his boots before stepping through the threshold. As the group makes their way past the facade of the "candy shop", Urahara pokes his head out from the back.

**Kisuke:** 'Welcome back; did you have trouble finding us?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'It was nothing that we could not handle.'

**Wolverine:** 'Speak fer yerself, bub; damn soul society dropped us off a few hundred feet in the air.'

**Kisuke:** 'I guess they thought you could handle the fall.'

Wolverine doesn't say anything to this and instead leaves the others to search for his body.

**Kisuke:** 'Before I lost Psylocke-san's body, I thought it would be nice to have her cook for us once more.'

**Psylocke:** 'I think I've gotten you spoiled, Kisuke dear.'

**Yoruichi:** '**Trust** me, he'll be back to eating ramen in no time. The only time that we get decent meals around here is when Tessai cooks.'

**Kisuke:** 'You're so **cruel**, Yoruichi!'

He puts his fan up to his face to conceal his fake tears as the sometimes cat rolls her eyes.

Just then, Logan comes back dragging his body by the arm while the soul inside protests loudly.

**Logan's body:** 'Ow! Not so **hard**, please! It's bad enough I have to be beat upon by that red-haired child, but I'd think **you'd** be a little nicer!'

**Wolverine:** 'Zip it! I don't care **what **kind o' soul is in there, my body shouldn't act this way. Kisuke! Before anythin' **else**, I want my body back!'

The former soul reaper adjusts his hat to conceal his expression as he casually walks over to the shorter man while gripping his cane.

**Kisuke:** 'It's for the best I suppose; I think Jinta enjoyed inflicting pain on him more than he enjoys picking on Ururu.'

**Wolverine:** 'Yeah, I'm gonna get some payback as soon as that little shit gets back.'

**Kisuke:** 'Oh, you're right, he's gone.'

**Wolverine:** 'Him and the girl.'

**Kisuke: **'I wonder where they ran off to?'

**Wolverine:** 'I don't care. How ya gonna get me back in there?'

He jerks his head to the side as he refrences his, at the moment, terrified body. Urahara's eyes gleam just before he swiftly brings his cane up to Logan's body's head. He positions the end of the cane up to the body's forehead as if he were pointing at it. The irritated mutant can see that the end has a symbol of some kind etched into it. Before the former captain of squad twelve jabs the end of his cane right through the body's head, Logan sees that the symbol is of a white skull surrounded by black and blue flames. The instant Urahara's cane passes through Logan's body's skull, the gumball-sized spirit exchanger that he had swallowed pops out and hits the floor! The eyes of the now soulless body roll up and back into their sockets as Wolverine's body falls lifeless to the floor! A still, silent moment passes before the mutant looks up to the hatted blonde man.

**Wolverine:** 'Ya couldn't o' been a little gentler?'

Kisuke shrugs sheepishly as he moves to retrieve his creation.

Logan sighs as he asks;

**Wolverine: **'What am I supossed ta do now?'

**Kisuke:** 'Mm? Oh, just get back in; the connection you have to your body will take hold and keep you in place.'

The mutant eyes the man before doing as instructed. As Logan begins to mount his physical body, he pauses as he sees Hulk eyeing him with a smirk on his face.

**Wolverine:** 'I swear, bub, don't ya dare say a **word**...'

**Hulk:** 'I **really **wish I could remember **this **when we get back.'

**Wolverine: **'Shut the hell up.'

Logan slides the rest of the way into his body and his kimono-clad soul form disappears from view. A moment passes before Logan takes his first real breath in over a week. He gets to one knee and rubs his head as he says;

**Wolverine:** 'Talk 'bout yer outta body experience.'

After Logan orientates himself, Urahara addresses the group.

**Kisuke: **'Maybe it'd be good for all of you to return to your bodies before we eat.'

**Hulk:** 'Sounds good to me; I wonder what I've been up to lately.'

He lumbers off to search for his body as Thor's body comes strolling out of the bathroom.

**Thor's body:** 'Man, don't go in there for a few hours. Heh, heh.'

The thunderer retrieves his body and stands before the hatted man.

**Thor: **'Mine time hath come; return Odin's Son to this vessel.'

Urahara pokes Thor's body in the head in the same manner as he did with Logan's and the lifeless form begins to fall. Before it falls to the floor, however, Thor moves behind it and enters fluidly. After witnessing the god, Logan scoffs;

**Wolverine:** 'Show off.'

**Thor:** 'I doth be a god, Logan.'

The feral mutant smirks before walking to the kitchen. After a minute, the jade giant calls from the next room.

**Hulk:** 'Alight, puppet master, show me what that cane of yours can do.'

Kisuke walks to the room that Hulk's body has been in since merging with the spirit exchanger. Even sitting down, the massive being still comes up to Urahara's chest! After dislodging the soul from the green goliath's body, it slumps over unmoving. Hulk practically falls into his 1,500 pound frame and almost instantly clutches at his stomach!

**Hulk:** 'What? Are you... kidding me?'

Before Kisuke's eyes, the large creature known as Hulk convulses and moans as his seven foot frame slowly shrinks and changes colors!

**Kisuke:** 'Strange-san, I think you should come in here!'

Dr. Strange appears in the doorway seconds after being called; already on his way due to Hulk's outburst.

**Dr. Strange:** 'I have seen this before. You are witnessing the change that takes place between our green-hued friend and his human personality; Bruce Banner.'

**Kisuke:** 'Why now? He's been in that room virtually since you came here.'

Dr. Strange remains silent as Banner slowly moves out of the fetal position and onto his hands and knees.

**Bruce:** 'It's because... he hasnt' been eating. Every ounce of his strength was used to counter his hunger... without me in his... body, he couldn't change back. The soul inside had no idea because of how it was built.'

Stephen helps the doctor to his feet and the man clings to the mystic weakly. Kisuke leads the two men out of the room and into the kitchen where Betsy is helping her body set out the food.

**Psylocke: **'Bruce, I 'eard what 'appened; are you alright?'

**Bruce:** 'I'll be fine once I get some food in me. I feel like I haven't eaten in a week!'

**Kisuke: **'That's because you haven't... on that note, Stephen-san, would you help me retrieve your body?'

**Dr. Strange: **'Should I expect similar results with my body, Mr. Urahara?'

**Kisuke: **'Not at all. The soul that resides inside you loves to eat. It also loves to fight. It's a very passionate soul.'

**Dr. Strange: **'I see.'

The two enter the underground training area and find Stephen's body meditating on a boulder. When they approach, the body jumps up and immediately goes into a fighting stance!

**Stephen's body:** 'You're back! Time for round two!'

**Dr. Strange: **'I am afraid I did not come to fight, body.'

The jumpsuit-wearing man ignores its soul and lunges for him! The mystic closes his eyes and holds up his hand and the body becomes suspended in mid-air just before it connects with its outstretched fist.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Kisuke, if you please?'

The hatted man pops his creation out of Strange's body and the sorcerer lowers his body into himself. Strange breathes in deeply as he once again becomes whole.

When the two return to the kitchen, they find Thor, Logan, Bruce and Yoruichi all eating the large spread of food that is laid out before them.

**Kisuke:** 'You guys didn't wait for us?'

**Yoruichi: **'It was getting cold. There's still plenty of food left.'

The former captain of squad twelve looks over to the many bowls and plates that are already dirty and stacked up around the now human Banner and sighs.

**Kisuke:** 'Betsy-san, I should get you transferred before I sit down.'

**Psylocke:** 'That's nice of you Kisuke.'

After long last, the heroes have finally been returned to their physical bodies. Kisuke sits down beside his childhood friend, Yoruichi and Betsy finds a place next to Stephen. After another hour or so of eating and talking, the heroes help clean up and then go to find their costumes. As everyone finds different places to change, Banner finds Hulk's ripped purple shorts and holds them up as he sighs.

**Bruce:** 'I have no choice but to let you out once more...'

He steps into the many sizes too big shorts and begins to transform. Slowly, the shorts begin to fit until, finally, Hulk is back in the room.

**Hulk: **'That's better.'

Once everyone has finished changing, Kisuke calls them back into the room where they had shared the large meal.

**Kisuke:** 'I assume you will use the same method to get home that got you here. So you don't cause unwanted attention, I suggest using the training grounds under the shop to open your portal.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I agree. Thank you for everything, Kisuke Urahara. You as well, Yoruichi.'

**Yoruichi:** 'I'm just glad everything worked out the way it did. It's just too bad that none of us will remember any of it.'

Just then, the hatted man perks up.

**Kisuke:** 'Oh, that reminds me! Everyone head underground, I'll be there in a minute.'

He disappears around a corner and the heroes look to Yoruichi for an explanation. The sometimes cat just closes her eyes and shrugs as if to say this is normal behavior for him. Just as the five heroes begin to leave, Logan tilts his head as he hears the front door slide open. He sniffs the air and smirks as he pounds his right fist into his left palm.

**Wolverine:** 'Ya guys go on ahead; I got some unfinished business ta take care of.'

He heads off as the others follow Yoruichi down the hall. Logan rounds the corner just as Jinta, Ururu and Tessai come through the door. The mutant grimaces as he recalls how the soul acted in his body. He imitates the soul's movements to try and goad the small boy into a confrontation.

**Jinta:** 'Oh its you; what're you wearin' that guy's costume for? You think you can fool me by tryin' to act all tough? Time for another beating!'

Wolverine doesn't say anything because his rough voice will undoubtedly give him away. Instead, he simply pretends to cower in fear as the boy reaches behind a shelf and pulls out his large metal bat. The girl with the pigtails behind the boy tries to warn him but the red-headed boy ignores her.

**Ururu:** 'Um, I don't think - '

**Jinta: **'Shut up, Ururu! I'm gonna give this guy somethin' to fear; Jinta Homerun!'

The boy rushes the feral mutant, much to the protests of both Ururu and Tessai, and swings his bat with surprising force! Just before the boy connects, Logan bares his canines as he smiles and catches the weapon in mid-swing! He pulls the surprised boy in close and growls;

**Wolverine: **'News flash fer ya kid; I ain't that weakling yer used to smackin' 'round. **I'm** straight outta yer **nightmares**!'

As if to drive home his point, Logan unsheaths his two outside claws on his right hand and they extend past the boy's face with practiced precision! The red-haired boy's face turns pale as he begins to sweat profusely at Logan's threat.

**Jinta: **'O-okay, okay! You made your point! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!'

The mutant smirks and retracts his claws as he sits the boy down roughly on the floor. Ururu runs over to him and chastises him.

**Ururu: **'Mr. Urahara's going to be mad at you for picking on his guests, Jinta.'

The boy doesn't retaliate against the girl as he's still too frightened to move when Logan turns around and walks away.

When Logan re-joins his companions down below, he only has to wait a few minutes before the geta-wearing man returns. The heroes are surprised to see that Urahara has brought Ichigo with him as well. Stephen notices that he's in his physical body due to the grey school uniform he wears.

**Kisuke:** 'Just before I came down, Ichigo decided to stop by and say hi. He didn't know you guys were here as well, so it's good timing all around.'

**Ichigo: **'Hey guys. It's too bad you're all leaving already. There's a lot of hollows that need their butts kicked.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'I am sure you will have no touble with them, Ichigo. You faced off against one of our universe's most feared villains and dealt him severe wounds.'

The teen smirks at the compliment as he folds his arms.

**Ichigo: **'Yeah, but he didn't know when to quit.'

**Dr. Strange: **'Indeed. He would have continued until he was completely spent if it was not for the intervention of Death.'

At the mention of the near omnipotent being's name, Urahara steps towards Stephen while reaching into his black overcoat.

**Kisuke:** 'I think this will serve you and your team quite nicely.'

As the five heroes look on, the former captain of squad twelve pulls out an item about as big as his hand and lets it dangle from a foot long chain that's wrapped loosely around his fingers.

**Wolverine:** 'What good's an empty hour glass gonna do us, Urahara-san?'

**Kisuke:** 'It does look like that doesn't it? Sorry for the design, I wanted it to stand out so that Dr. Strange wouldn't misplace it when you got back.'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Are you giving me this? What purpose does it serve?'

**Kisuke:** 'This little guy will help you preserve your memories of your time here.'

The five stare wide-eyed at the blonde man!

**Psylocke: **'Does that mean you've recorded everything we've done up to this point in that thing?'

**Kisuke:** '... No.'

**Hulk: **'What do you mean?'

**Kisuke:** 'As soon as Mayuri calmed down, I followed him back to his laboratory to pick his brain. Literally. I knew I had chosen the right person to replace me as president of research and development, but when I saw everything he's been working on in his free time, I was surprised.'

Logan folds his hairy arms as he becomes impatient with the hatted man. Thor shifts his weight as Hulk scratches his unruly, dark green hair.

**Kisuke:** 'I originally designed this device to record thoughts for viewing at a later time. **His **technology allowed me to modify this thing to absorb and store actual memories!'

Dr. Strange grips his chin with his fingers as he takes in what the former soul reaper has just said.

**Kisuke:** 'Of course, it only records one person's memories at a time and with each use, it deletes the previous stored data.'

**Hulk:** 'Well that's a big help since there's five of us. Do you have four more hidden in that jacket of yours?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Actually Hulk, I do believe we have a way around the problem that Mr. Urahara has presented us with.'

At the mystic's musings, Kisuke's eyes gleam under his hat as he smiles knowingly.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Betsy; if you would be so kind to use your telepathy and "steal" each of our memories from our time here.'

**Psylocke:** 'I did something similar to this when we practiced against the dummy Thanos.'

She closes her eyes in concentration and puts her fingers to the sides of her head. She smiles inwardly as she touches each individual mind and notices they each have their own take on soul society and the soul reapers that they've met. The only mind she has any trouble with at all is Hulk's as even though he's relaxed, it's still like wading through quicksand. After several minutes of memory siphoning, the telepath opens her purple eyes and exhales audibly.

**Psylocke: **'It's done.'

**Kisuke:** 'Good! Now, concentrate all of those newly aqcuired memories onto this point.'

He dangles the hour glass-shaped device in front of him and points to a small "eye" design at the top of it.

She focuses her will and memories and everyone watches as the eye opens and begins to glow! The clear, glass-like substance that the container is made out of fills with a yellow light as the quintet's memories are poured into it. After a minute more of this, the vessel glows brightest before the eye closes and the light fades.

**Kisuke:** 'Stephen-san, keep this with you; I have a feeling that once you cross back over to your side, you won't remember what this does. I hope that because of its shape, you'll keep it safe.'

The former soul reaper places the hour glass into the mystic's hand and Strange secures it by hanging it around his neck. Afterwards, Kisuke clasps his hands together and says;

**Kisuke: **'It'll be pretty quiet around here after this. I don't know how I'll cope.'

**Wolverine: **'Whatever bub, I'm sure ya'll manage.'

The hatted man rubs the back of his neck as Dr. Strange looks at Thor.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Are you ready my friend?'

**Thor: **'Aye; tis been many days, but Mjolnir remembers yon magicks well.'

Not knowing exactly what to expect as the god of thunder prepares himself, Kisuke, Yoruichi and Ichigo step back a few yards. The thunderer takes up his enchanted hammer and begins to swing it over his head. Wind begins to blow out of nowhere as the head of his hammer starts to generate green and blue energy. After multiple rotations, a portal begins to open to the left of the heroes. With every second that passes, the hole in space becomes wider and wider until Thor feels that the portal is stable. While still spinning his weapon, the thunderer nods to the sorcerer. Dr. Strange practically yells as he communicates to everyone over the din of the winds.

**Dr. Strange:** 'This will be just as before! I do not know what will happen once we exit the portal, but I predict we should end up at my home in Greenwich Village!'

**Wolverine: **'Ya "**predict**"?'

**Dr. Strange:** 'Due to Death's influence upon our memories, I can not say for certain!'

Logan rolls his eyes. After he calms down, he steals a glance at the cocoa-skinned woman and cracks a smile. After she folds her arms and winks at him, the hairy mutant runds head-long into the swirling energies! Hulk follows his diminuative rival and disappears into the vortex.

**Dr. Strange:** 'Thank you again!'

**Kisuke:** 'I hope this isn't the last of our meetings!'

**Ichigo:** 'Don't bring any more wierdos into my town next time!'

At that, the mystic smiles as he nods for Psylocke to go next. She smiles at Urahara and then, she too, disappears into the portal. Dr. Strange enters the portal next as Thor follows after saying;

**Thor:** 'Yon strength tis great, Ichigo; use it to protect this town, young soul reaper!'

The teen may not fully understand everything the tall god says, but he perces his lips into a determined expression as if to answer the thunderer.

**Ichigo:** 'Count on it!'

With that, the Asgardian takes one last look at the trio before being consumed by the portal's energy!

The mutant known as Psylocke finishes "tagging" the last of the holographic projected Hand ninjas as her training simulation begins to shut down around her. The artificially created environment slowly fades to reveal the the sleek, shiny metal of the Danger Room located deep under the mansion located at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, just outside Salem Center, New York. She pauses as she looks around at the large empty room before walking to the key pad located on the wall, next to the heavy blast doors of the exit. Once she exits the room, she grabs one of the many folded towels that are kept in a cubby built right into the wall of the hallway. After she wipes the sheen of sweat away from her forehead and bare shoulders, she drapes the towel around her neck and walks to the elevator that will take her back to the public floors of the large mansion. As she walks, she gets a telepathic summons from Emma Frost, codenamed The White Queen. _Betsy, be a dear and meet the rest of the X-Men in the War Room for a briefing on our next mission. _Though the blonde woman is her teammate, Emma's voice occasionally runs chills down Betsy Braddock's spine! She thinks back; _I'll be right there. _She sighs and continues to the elevator.

After covering five miles of scorching Mojave desert with a single leap, Hulk lands in a cloud dust right next to a very surprised Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake that was resting under the shade of a large rock. The snake barely lets off a warning from it rattle before lunging for the jade giant's thick calf! The snake's fangs break off almost instantly as they connect with the dense skin and Hulk reaches down to pick up the injured reptile. The snake struggles in his unbreakable grip before Hulk quickly crushes it to put it out of its misery! After going limp, Hulk tosses the snake several hundred yards away from him with a simple gesture! As he watches the lifeless creature disappear, the green goliath grumbles.

**Hulk:** 'Even the wildlife won't leave me alone all the way out here.'

He bends his knees again and lifts off from the ground in search of a little peace.

The Asgardian god of thunder surveys the solitude of the mountain that he's on. The sub-zero winds whip at the hair under his shiny helm as well as tossing his crimson cape violently about his unmovable form. He breaths the fresh, frigid air into his large lungs and then exhales slowly. He grabs Mjolnir by the thong and launches himself out and away from the summit that he's on. Once he moves a considerable distance away from the mountain, he lets himself free-fall for several minutes before swinging his hammer into the air and ascending once more. He flies for several minutes and silently enters the air-space of New York City! What would have taken even the fastest jets nearly a day to complete, Thor's might combined with his enchanted hammer, are the reasons he arrives there effortlessly. He touches down upon the roof of a thirty-two story building and walks to the edge to look upon the bustling streets below. With his godly eyesight, he can make out every minute detail of every human he surveys. Just then and from above, swings a red and blue clad figure! The thunderer smiles as he knows exactly who it is that flips in mid-air and nimbly lands in a crouch on the roof several feet away.

**Spider-Man:** 'Well I'll be a spider monkey's uncle! What brings you to my humble neck of the woods, big guy?'

**Thor: **'Ho there Spider-Man! I didst feel the need to visit mine companions in The Avengers. Tis surely been awhile...'

The toned, but wiry costumed man stands up and mock scratches his masked head.

**Spider-Man:** '"Been awhile"? Not in my date book, blondie.'

He mimes pulling out a date planner and realistically flips through the "pages".

**Spider-Man:** 'Yup; I got us jotted down just the other day taking down some Doombots on the other side of town.'

The god eyes his teammate before looking away.

**Thor:** 'Yon actions doth puzzle me as always, but I concede thee recollection of past events.'

The comical super hero throws his invisible date book over his shoulder and calls out to the god in his best gameshow anouncer's voice.

**Spider-Man:** 'Thanks for playing, "name that battle"! Tell him what he's won, Johny! No seriously, do you wanna head over to to see ol' Shell-head?'

**Thor:** 'Iron Man? Indeed. I shall join you this day.'

Spider-Man nods before getting a running start to leap off of the building. Thor launches himself in the air once more as his companion lets fly a web line that catches a gargoyle to help propel him through the concrete jungle that is New York.

After finishing off the last of five beers that puts Logan's total to ten, he takes out some money and lays it on the top of the table as he gets up. He pauses at the door to allow a tall blonde woman to go ahead of him before he puts on his jacket. The barkeep calls after the hairy man;

**bartender: **'Don't be a stranger, eh Logan?'

The mutant tips the brim of his cowboy hat as he walks out of the bar and onto the sidewalk. Before setting off to nowhere in particular, the mutant looks back at the door and then sniffs the air in the direction that the woman went. He rubs his forehead as he thinks; _huh, that was some strong Deja Vu just now. Wierd. _As he shakes his head to clear the feeling, he shoves his hands in the pockets of his jacket and heads down the street in the opposite direction of the woman.

Dr. Strange finds himself coming out of one his deep meditations inside his mystical home located at 177A Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, New York, NY. As he slowly opens his eyes, he reflectively ponders his current whereabouts. _I know this to be right, but somehow, I do not remember how I came to be in this place. _He floats out of the meditation chamber and continues down a long hallway. On his way, he passes a full length mirror and something catches the mystic's eye. He stops abruptly and looks over his frame. His eyes show signs of sleep deprivation and his jaw is peppered with stubble. He rubs his face and then stops as he notices a thin chain draped around his neck. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Stephen reaches for the hour glass that dangles near the Eye of Agomotto and removes it from his neck. He levitates the object above his palm and it rotates lazily while gripped in the sorcerer's power.

**Dr. Strange:** 'This artifact... it is of science but also infused with a power I have not yet discovered.'

After plucking the curious object out of mid-air, he resumes his journey down the hall until he comes to a set of intricately carved double doors with lion heads as handles. He whispers an incantation and puts his right gloved palm against the door. His hand glows with energy and the two lions roar as the doors slowly creak open. He floats into the extremely large room that has shelves and display cases set up all around. The room itself looks like it could take up the entire second floor, but that is just part of the mystery that is the Sanctum Sanctorum! He makes his way over to an empty space and mystically conjures a display case with a wave of his hand. After taking one last look at the hour glass-like device, Strange places it inside the thin glass case and closes the lid. He then holds his hands over the top of the transparent case and seals it shut using his vast magickical abilities. Satisfied, he floats to the threshold of the exit and takes one last look back into the room before closing his eyes and shutting the doors behind him.

**Fin. **

**Editor's Notes: Just to have one last gasp for this journey, I'm sending you off with an epilogue to sew things up a bit. Now that the story is finally at an end, please tell me what you thought :) Oh, I was re-reading my last post at the end of 'Farewell' and it seems that fan fiction didn't allow me to post another website's name. I meant to write that I'm on a site call deviant art 'dot' com all one word like you would put in your browser lol. My screen name is icex1982 so if you're interested in what my art would look like for this story, please feel free to visit me over there! **


	38. Epilogue: Shunsui

**Editor's Notes: I do not own the Bleach universe or the already established characters therein. I do, however, claim "Abigale" as my own intellectual property.**

**Happy Reading!**

**Marvel/Bleach**

**Epilogue**

**Shunsui**

**As the heroes prepare for their departure from soul society.**

To every soul reaper the hatted captain of squad eight passes, it looks as though he is casually strolling through squad four's medical ward. Shunsui Kyoraku, however, is on one last mission to find somebody before his memory is taken from him. As he rounds a corner, he sees squad four captain, Retsu Unohana as she finishes giving orders to a pink-clad nurse. After the nurse hurries to her duties, Kyoraku approaches the kind-looking woman.

**Shunsui:** 'I was hoping you could walk with me, Unohana-san.'

She turns and smiles at her long time friend.

**Retsu:** 'Of course, Captain Kyoraku. Do you have a particular destination in mind for this walk?'

**Shunsui:** 'You can read me like a book, Retsu.'

No more words are exchanged between the two powerful captains and to an onlooker, it's as though they are just having a friendly meeting. As they walk, Kyoraku thinks to himself; _I guess there doesn't need to be this much secrecy surrounding what Retsu and I are about to do, but still, this should be handled with care. _The two walk for a little while longer until Unohana stops in front of an unmarked recovery room. The captains step inside and Shunsui's lips turn up ever so slightly into a smile. Asleep in the bed is the blonde-haired, green-eyed former arrancar-turned purrified soul, Abigale. The eighth squad captain walks over to the foot of the bed where the blank chart of Abigale hangs. He picks it up and hands it to the fourth squad captain as he says;

**Shunsui:** 'I don't want to cause you too much trouble over this.'

**Retsu:** 'This is no trouble. Abigale-san is a newly arrived patient with an unexplainable condition. I will create all of the necessary paperwork and have a sealed copy delivered to you.'

**Shunsui:** 'I don't think we need to mention that she's a former arrancar that aided in an invasion attempt by Thanos.'

**Retsu:** 'That would serve no purpose if we are to lose our memories shortly.'

**Shunsui:** 'I'll leave it to you, Unohana-san. Put in anything that yoiu think is important and give me a reason to look after her, okay?'

Unohana smiles at the hatted man.

**Retsu: **'Why do you feel the need to go through such great lengths to remember this girl?'

**Shunsui:** 'I want to give her a fair chance in soul society. When we were fighting, she said that we failed in performing Konso on her nearly two hundred years ago. I know not every soul can be cleansed, but it was Katen Kyokotsu that purified her. If we do nothing **now**, it'll be **I **who failed in my mission as a soul reaper.'  
**Retsu: **'You shouldn't stretch yourself so thin, Captain Kyoraku. Do you not already look after Lieutenant Ise because of what happened to Yadomaru-san?'

At the mention of his former lieutenant's name, Kyoraku pulls his sakkat down over his eyes.

**Shunsui:** 'Make it a point that I don't put Abi-chan in my squad, but see to it that I adopt her into my house.'

**Retsu:** 'Is there something you're not telling me? I detect below normal amounts of spiritual pressure coming off of this girl. Nothing that would warrant her admission into the Shino Academy.'

**Shunsui: **'Maybe you're right, but let's still be cautious alright?'

After a moment of comfortable silence, the eighth squad captain puts a firm hand on the raven-haired captain's shoulder before departing the room.

**Fin...?**

**Editor's Notes: 'Short and sweet? When I started writing this fic, I had no idea that it would take on a life of its own. To be honest, I started out with a "bigining" a "middle" and an "end". Everything else kinda just blew up and I went wherever the story took me. I think it turned out alright and Llibelula turned Abigale was a product of this story's own life. Her story is going to be my next endevor. That's not to say that I won't write another Marvel fic, but she will be my next immediate project. I hope you stick around for her tale, because I think it's going to be a good one :) Please visit me on deviant art 'dot' com if you get a moment, I will be working on artwork for my whole story and submitting it to that website. 'deviantart dot com' is actually one word that you would type into your browser, but for whatever reason, fan fiction doesn't like websites posted on fics lol, so I wrote it like that. This has been a blast for me and I hope you enjoyed the ride as well.**

**Happy Reading!**


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